A Brother's love
by moviemaniac07
Summary: Pogue Parry loved his sister. He really did want her to be happy, even if it meant being in the arms of Reid Garwin. But he didn’t have to like it. In fact, he didn’t. FINISHED! M for excessive lang.
1. Prologue

Pogue Parry loved his sister. He really did want her to be happy, even if it meant being in the arms of Reid Garwin. But he didn't have to like it. In fact, he didn't. He was sitting at the table with Kate, Tyler, and Caleb, in the middle of Nicki's, but his heart and mind was out on the dance floor, with her sister.

Garwin was one of his best friends, no doubt. They had grown up together, but _she _was his sister, his twin in fact, and that bond was tighter than anything else. And Reid was a jackass, self proclaimed in fact, not someone you want you sister to be dating. She had grown up with him, too, she had always been just as close to him as anyone, if not closer. Maybe that was it, maybe she saw something in him that no one else saw.

"Pogue!" said Kate, swatting at his arm reprovingly, snapping him back to the present. "How long have they been dating now? You have to get used to it. She can take care of herself."

A year. They had been dating a year, and he knows he should be used to it, but he just couldn't. It was his sister. You don't get used to things like that.

As far as taking care of herself, he had no doubt about that. When they turned thirteen, no one expected her to get the power, but boy did she! It was a few days later, at dinner in the dinning room when they found out. The elders were at the house that night, and Pogue's parents were begging them to test her, because they wanted to be sure. They, of course, refused, girls didn't get the power. And she got so angry. Before anyone knew what was happening, she had blown up all the china, all the glass, everything fragile in the dinning room, exhibiting more power that any of the sons had, by far. They had no choice but to accept her now, no tests needed. What a fly in the face of tradition that was, and Pogue had been so proud of her for doing that.

But not that she would need the power to protect herself. He was certain that as much of a dick that Reid was, he would do nothing to hurt her. She meant too much to him. And he knew this; he couldn't understand why he was against it.

That's why. Reid had just bent down in the middle of the dance, placing a kiss on his sister's lips. It was light… at first. But it quickly developed into more.

He remembered the first time he ever caught them kissing. It was at Tyler's house, on his birthday. He had gone to the kitchen to get something to drink, only to find his best friend locking lips with her. He nearly freaked, there was no way that could be happening. NO WAY. But it was, and, as it turns out, the first time that it had ever happened at all. But it was not the last.

He didn't like it, but he would do his best to live with it. If anyone in this world deserved happiness, it was her. He just hoped it didn't backfire on her.

Unfortunately, that was a possibility. Reid was… addicted. There was no other way to explain it. He swore. He swore up and down that he wasn't, but he used so much.

But maybe that was another good thing that would come from it. Maybe Reid would realize there was something in this life to live for, and that magic wasn't everything. Maybe his sister would save him.

"Let's dance, babe," said Pouge, turning to Kate. She smiled and grabbed his hand, leading him out to the dance floor, next to Reid and his sister. His sister smiled at him, a beautiful smile, like the one she always wore when she was with Reid.

His sister was happy, then so was he.


	2. It's War

Title: A Brother's Love

Chapter: It's War

Discalimer: I don't own anythin covenant, besides the movie. oh and Alexandra, she's my proud creation

The Prologue takes place about a year or so AFTER the story, so, as from this point of the story, it hasn't happened yet. We start off with the Brothers (and sister's) sophmore year, near the end, Caleb, Reid, Pogue, and my character are all sixteen, and Tyler, being the baby, is only fifteen. All events will happen before the prologue until noted otherwise.

so now, for the story

* * *

Alexandra Parry was nearly falling asleep on her English books. She was sitting next to her brother in seventh period Lit, listening to her teacher drone on and on. It was enough to put anyone to sleep. Her brown hair was falling from her ponytail, masking her jade green eyes.

Pogue had been trying to keep her awake, but eventually he stopped, failing miserably to keep himself up. He was sprawled over his desk, face stuck to the surface. She nudged him with her elbow. He didn't move. What a hypocrite.

She glanced through her hair at Caleb. He was sitting on the other side of her brother, writing furiously. She probably should be paying attention, there was no doubt that this would be on the test, but her self diagnosed ADD wouldn't allow it.

"Hey, Caleb," she whispered. He stopped writing and glanced over at her. "Can I borrow those?" He smiled and nodded before returning his attention to the teacher. She knew she could count on him. He was her best friend, the person she was closest to, besides her brother.

She laid her head back down on her desk. This class really was too long, and too pointless. You didn't even need the actual class to pass the course. Just read the books, and you'll be fine. And being the semi-nerd she was, it didn't take her to long to read them, so most of her time was spent on more important things, like getting back at Garwin.

Reid sat a few rows back and to the left at her with Tyler. At first, she couldn't understand why her would sit so far away from the group. She quickly realized that he chose his spot solely to pick on her.

She remembered the first week in the class, when she had actually listened to Michaels. She was sitting in her notebook when she felt something soft hit her in the head before landing in her lap. She looked down to find a paper wad, with the words "open it" written. She did as directed, only to find Garwin's chicken scratch that read "IT'S WAR". Stupidly, she threw it back.

Since then, Tyler had joined Reid's side, but it didn't take much for him to switch to hers, just a puppy dog face from her, and he would give in. Then, the next time they were all in the same room, Reid would always accost him, and Tyler's excuse was that she was just cuter that him.

They never took any of it seriously. It was just some fun, a way to pass the time.

Almost as if her memories became a reality, she heard a slight whoosh and felt something soft smack her in the head. She sat up, just in time to see a second one fly her way, hitting Caleb's notebook. She looked behind her to see who they came from. A few rows back sat Reid and Tyler, laughing hysterically.

She picked the one up that had hit her, and unfolded it, reading the message. "Rise and Shine, sleepy head," was sprawled conspicuously in Tyler's writing. Caleb handed her the one that had landed in his notebook. This one was from Reid. He scribbled, "Wake up, Sweets." She glared at the name written on the paper. She hated that nickname, but he had insisted on calling her that since freshman year, and she couldn't figure out why.

She scribbled her note on the offending piece of paper before throwing it back to Reid, smacking him in the chest. She watched him open the paper, and the smile of shock spread across his face.

Content, she laid her head on her books, letting her mind wander.

* * *

A/N: I know it's short and all, but it is just a place to get my feet off the ground. It will be very interesting, beleive me!!!


	3. Revealing the Truth

A/N: disclaimer as usual

Chapter 3 of a brother's love...

* * *

It seemed like years before the bell rang, but finally the sweet sound reached Alex's ears. She got up and stretched her limbs, sore from sitting so long. The classroom emptied quickly, everyone excited to begin their weekend. She looked down at her brother, who was still asleep.

She gave a little chuckle before smacking him in the back of the head. He bolted upright, a confused expression on his face. It took him a second to realize where he was.

"Thanks, sis," he said, yawning.

"No problem." She grabbed her bag and bounded down the stairs towards the door.

"Hey, Alex!" Caleb called after her. She stopped and spun around to face him. "You want these?" He was holding up his notebook.

"Um…" , she said, glancing at the clock. She was going to be late. "You picking me up for Nicki's tonight, right?"

"Yeah, eight o'clock," he said.

"Great, I'll get them then!" Without another look, she jumped the last few steps and out the door.

"Well, well, well, does your brother know you're such a potty mouth?" Reid Garwin slouched up against the lockers, a smirk on his face. Alex was putting her books up. He shoved the note in front of her face. She stopped and chuckled, seeing the words _Fuck You _written on the paper she had thrown at him.

"Does you latest fuck around know that you're probably infected with some STD? Maybe gonorrhea, or AIDS? Her face lit up with a mock smile as she said the last one.

"I do not have an STD," he remarked, glaring at her.

"I'll take that as a no, then." She continued to shove her books into her locker. Usually she would stop and talk to him, but it was obvious to Red that she had somewhere to be.

"You're in an awful hurry to get somewhere, sweets. Got plans?"

Shit. She did not want him knowing where she was going. Because if he knew, then Tyler, Caleb, and Pogue knew, and if they knew, things were not going to be good.

She hesitated a minute before saying anything. She knew that she couldn't just refuse to tell him anything, that would not end well. But she couldn't tell him too much, because that would end worse. How much could she bend the truth?

"I'm going to work on the history project," she said. Her books were in her locker now, and she turned to look at him.

"And you're excited about that?" Reid didn't believe that for a minute. She may do well in school, great actually, but she wasn't anymore excited about it than the rest of them.

"I never said I was excited about that!" she retorted. He just gave her that_ do I look like I'm stupid _look. "Okay, fine, I am excited.

"Who are you working with?"

Oh no. That was not something she was going to answer. That would definitely not go over well at all. "None of your business, Reid," she said. She was glaring at him, anger her only defense for the panic she was feeling.

"But I believe it is." He put his hand on her still open locker door, trapping her between the lockers and himself.

"How so?" she asked, standing her ground, though she could feel his piercing blue eyes bore into her, taking their effect. They always made her a little bit dizzy. This was not the first time he had done this. In fact, this was nowhere near the first time he had done this. And each time, it had the same effects. She knew it and so did he. Eventually, she would tell him what he wanted to know. But not this time, this time, she refused.

"You're my friend, sweets. It's my job to take care of you," he retorted, mock present in his voice, along with that poisonous sweetness.

"You're not my brother, Garwin. In fact, it's not even his problem, so why would I tell you?" He didn't say anything, just stared at her. She stared back. His eyes were so blue, just blue. There was no magic in them. She couldn't understand how he did that to her, but he always did. And then it happened, like word vomit. "Fine, I'm working with Aaron."

"Abbott?" Reid asked, a frown crossing his face. They had gone to school together since freshman year. He didn't really know him, and the only time he ever talked to him was when they played pool at Nicki's. He always seemed like a complete jackass though, and he had heard some things about him that he did not like. Before, Reid didn't like Aaron, but he could tolerate him. Now it seems like his tolerance was turning into hatred. "I don't like him." He didn't move, and he didn't stop staring at her.

"Well, I don't care if you do or not. Besides, it doesn't matter, we have to do this history project together anyway." This conversation was turning in a direction that she did not want it to go.

He knew her, too well. There was something more behind this whole thing. She wouldn't be excited to go do the history project, and go see Aaron, unless there was something between the two of them other than history. It would take chemistry to get her this excited, and he didn't mean the kind you took in school. "Is there something else to this Aaron thing other than this history project?" She didn't answer him. Instead, she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, giving herself away. Still, he wanted to hear her say it. "Alex?"

"Okay, Okay, I like Aaron, and I think he likes me, and we're kind of talking, and-" She was rudely interrupted when Reid put his hand over her mouth, stopping her from finishing her sentence.

"You're gonna make be throw up," he said, wishing he hadn't pried. "That's disgusting." Truthfully, he wasn't only disgusted, but a little angry too. But why shouldn't he be? She was like a sister to him.

"Shove off Garwin! I told you to butt out in the first place, that you didn't want to hear in, but you wouldn't listen. I don't feel the least bit sorry for you. Maybe from now on you'll stay out of my business!"

"Doubt that." He really did doubt it, especially now that he knew what was going on.

"Look, it's okay if you know, but can you at least keep your mouth shut to the others? I don't want them to know."

His smirk returned. "I think we can work something out." His tone was suggestive, and he arched his eyebrows to make his point. She just shoved him, a scowl marking her face. "Okay, fine, I won't tell"

"Thank you." She smiled before grabbing her bag. He shut her locker for her, seeing as he was still holding the door. She turned away to leave.

"Hey, sweets," he said. She turned to face him, an annoyed expression on her face. "I'd love to take you up on that offer." He held up the paper wad. Her eyes widened before she moved to grab it from him, but he pulled it out of her grasp. "Ah, ah, ah, this is mine to collect on." With a wink, he was off down the hallway.

* * *

Did you like, please read and review.

P.S. The paper wad WILL be important in the future!


	4. Unkept Secrets

So, this is chapter four. Usual disclaimer

* * *

"What!" Pogue was standing in the middle of the locker room with the other three sons, and the rest of the swimming team. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at him. "They have a thing?" 

"Yeah," Reid resigned, banging his head against his locker. He couldn't believe that he just told them, he promised.

"A thing! A thing, what the hell does that even mean?" He was screaming at the top of his lungs now.

"Calm down, man," said Tyler, drying his hair. He didn't like it either, but he sure as hell wasn't going to announce it to the entire school.

"Shut the hell up, Tyler!" He didn't want to lash out at his friends, but he was angry.

"He's right man," said Caleb. "I don't think any of us are happy about this. I mean we all know what Aaron is like, but I think that we should at least wait until we are all alone to talk about it, and… And I think that Alex should be able to be there."

What he said made sense, he had to admit that. He calmed down a little, but not much. He began pacing instead of yelling. "How long until we are all alone though?"

"Probably after Nicki's," said Tyler. He was done drying his hair, and he was throwing on his shirt.

'That's way too long though, man. I mean, he'll be at Nicki's, right, just chatting her up…"

"Will it make you feel better if I talk to her when I pick her up?" offered Caleb. It was probably best to warn her beforehand anyway. She wouldn't appreciate being ambushed.

"NO!" said Reid. He stopped beating his head on his locker now, and was facing his friends. She could not know that they knew, no way. She would have his ass. "I told her I wouldn't tell you. If we at least waited until after Nicki's then maybe we can use that as a hint."

"She won't appreciate being ambushed, Reid." Caleb voiced his opinion now. He felt for his friend, he really did, but it was his own fault that he told. He was grateful no doubt, but Reid did promise her.

Reid resumed hitting his head against his locker. "I'm fucked," he whined.

"Yeah, but you'll be more fucked if we wait." Caleb waited for Reid's response. He knew how the other two felt.

He sighed. As always, Caleb was right. "Fine." It was going to be an interesting night.

Alex stared at their poster in amazement. It looked great. "Wow, this looks wonderful," she said to Aaron, who was standing behind her.

"Not as wonderful as what I'm looking at." She turned to face him. His eyes were on her. "Beautiful."

She felt herself blushing. "Stop it." She stated it simply, but still her embarrassment was present in her voice.

"Just stating the truth." He took a step forward. "It's a wonder that you don't already have a boyfriend."

Not to her it wasn't. There were four specific reasons why she hadn't. She was acutely aware of how close Aaron was to her. "What time is it?" She asked, trying to change the topic.

Aaron looked down at his watch. "Seven o'clock."

"Oh, Shit!" She pushed passed him. 'Caleb's picking me up for Nicki's in an hour. I really need to get ready." She turned to look at him, an apologetic look on his face.

"Why don't you let me take you?" He asked, moving towards her.

"I would, but I promised Caleb. It's kind of a tradition."

"You guys are best friends, huh?" he asked her, recalling something she had said earlier.

"Yeah. We don't ever really get any time alone together anymore, except for the car ride and all."

"Well. I should let you get ready then. Save me a dance?" He smiled at her before bushing his fingers along her cheek.

She bit her lip. "Um, yeah." She could feel the blush running over her cheeks again.

"I like you, Alex." She gave her one more smile before walking out her, leaving her standing in her doorway, speechless.

Luckily, she had changed before Aaron came over to work on their project. She was already wearing her faded jeans, and all she had to do was change her shirt. She threw of the t-shirt she was wearing and put on her orange crinkled spaghetti strap shirt, and them her white, half button up tank top, unbuttoned so the orange shirt could be shown. They were both a little short, showing off a portion of her stomach, toned from playing soccer over the summer. She scrunched her hair, and threw in a headband. She grabbed black jacket and headed for the door, getting to Caleb's car with five minutes to spare.

"Hey Caleb!" She kissed his cheek as she got in.

"Hey Alex. You look great. Ready?"

With a nod, they were racing down the racing down the road towards the bar. They were halfway there before Caleb brought up Aaron. "So, Reid told me about this whole Aaron thing." There was no point in playing games and hiding who said what. She only told one person, and it was obvious how he found out.

"You're kidding me, right?" she said, turning to face him. He didn't say anything, just continued driving. "That little fucker…"

"He was worried about it. You can't blame him for that!"

"Yeah, I can, because it wasn't any of his business in the first place, but he had to go and do that _I'm gonna stare at you until you tell me _thing. Caleb laughed. He knew that Reid used it on her all too much. "It's not funny! You won't be laughing when I kill him."

"Don't be too hard on him," Caleb reproached. He hoped some of her anger wore off before they got to Nicki's, but he really did doubt it.

"Oh, no. He's not getting any sympathy. He did exactly what I told him not to." She sighed. They knew now, well at least Caleb did. And if he knew, she might as well ask him his opinion on the whole thing, on Aaron. The others were going to tell her anyway, not that theirs really mattered to her. But, as much as she didn't want to admit it, Caleb's did. He didn't just take the protective brother role; he also took the role of a best friend. "What do you think?" She turned away from him, afraid to see his face.

Caleb took a moment to respond. He didn't like the idea of it, not one bit. But if it meant that she was happy, then what right did he have to take it away. Besides, what was the worst that could happen if he was around all the time? But… she was asking for the truth. "I don't like him. I don't like his attitude, and I don't like what I've heard." He could hear her sigh in defeat. "But, if it will make you happy, I'm willing to give it a try, and do the best I can to convince the others.

Alex squealed with glee and threw her arms around him, despite the fact that he was still driving a moving vehicle. "Thank you, thank you!" She untangled herself from him and sat back in her seat, a smile across her face. "So the others know then." Caleb nodded. "Great. And I bet they don't approve."

"Trust me, your talk with Reid was just the tip of the iceberg."

She wasn't looking forward to seeing the rest of the iceberg, but like the Titanic, she was speeding towards it. But that was okay with her, she would deal with it head on. She didn't run from her problems.

But first thing was first. She was going to kill Reid.

* * *

So that's it! Please read and review. I want to hear it all. Question, comments, praise(hahaha). I jsut want feedback!! 

And to those wonderful Reviews!!

I love you a thousand times!!!! And if i didnt respond to yours, please forgive me, but fanfic says that i have applied to all. if you didnt get one, feel free to PM me anytime. Thanky you again...

and until next time


	5. Playing Fair

Chapter five...

* * *

Reid Garwin was, as always, occupying the single pool table on the far side of Nicki's. He had a perfect view of the door, and he saw it the moment Alex and Caleb entered the bar. She was furious, he could tell by the expression on her face. Caleb was holding her hand, and pulling her away from the door, toward a table where Kate and Pogue were sitting. 

"Let the games begin," whispered Tyler, nudging Reid, a smirk on his face.

"Shut up man," said Reid, not taking his eyes off of her.

"It was nice knowing you man, that's all I'm saying."

"Fuck off Tyler." He turned towards the boy. Tyler put his hands up in defeat. "Now are we gonna play, or what?"

"What's the bet?" Tyler pushed himself around to the other side of the table.

Reid didn't need any more money, not from Tyler. "Drinks? Loser pays."

"Alright."

Reid let Tyler break, it was a close game, but it came down to Reid. All he needed to do was sink the eight ball to win. "Sorry man, but looks like you're gonna buy."

He moved to shoot, lining in up for the corner pocket. He shot, but not before he heard Tyler's voice. "Hey Alex!"

Reid missed. He actually missed. Not only that, but he had scratched, too. He looked up from the table to find Tyler, laughing hysterically. And there was no Alex.

"Damn it!" He was pissed. He NEVER missed a shot. NEVER. "You cheated, man."

"No, I didn't. We never specified that distractions weren't allowed." He had him there. But it made him mad. He always won by playing fair, and his best friend just cheated to win. "Guess you be buying. I want a coke." Reid grumbled something under his breath, sounding slightly like a _fuck you. _It was all Tyler could hear before he burst into laughter.

To make matters worse, Alex was standing by the bar. Tyler was really gonna pay. He stepped up to the bar. "Hey, Nicki!" The large, bald man turned towards him, a glass in his hand. It seemed like he was always cleaning something. "I need two cokes, take your time!" If he was over here, he might as well deal with it. He turned towards his friend; she hadn't even acknowledged that he was standing there. "Sweets, you not mad at me, are you?"

She just laughed. "Mad at you Garwin? No, I was furious at you… but I'm not anymore. I realized that you're just a pathetic little fucker who hasn't gotten laid and has decided to take that aggression out on something else." Her eyes were on him now, gauging his reaction. She was pleasantly surprised. His eyes flashed, with anger, or magic, or both. She was betting on the last one; it usually turned out that if he was angry, he couldn't help but use.

"Haven't gotten laid? Are you on fucking crack? That's fucking pathetic that you have to start searching for things that are untrue to get back at me." She had rattled his cage, nearly knocked it over. She knew his weak spot, and she had broken into it. But he wasn't going to show her.

"Oh, yeah, and you think you can do better. Tell me something Garwin, tell me something that's true about me!" She had taken a step closer to him now. She was glaring at him.

He couldn't think of anything. His mind was completely blank. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't think of anything bad about her. So he had to resort to something else. "You think Aaron likes you? Well the only fucking thing that he wants out of you is an A on that project, and then he's gonna dump you like you're last night one night stand."

She doubled over in laughter. "I hope you don't really think that, do you? Well, for your information, he told me today that he does. And, you know what? Go and fucking be the boys little rat; tell them. I don't care. But know this, I won't ever tell you anything again. I asked you one thing, not to tell them and you did. What kind of friend does that make you?"

"Sweets, you asked me one thing that I couldn't do." He smirked at her. She may be laughing, but she was angry, he had gotten to her.

"Don't call me that anymore." She was glaring at him, and he felt ice go down his spine.

"See, that's two things that I can't do now…" he moved towards her. "…Sweets."

Her eyes flashed, they actually flashed. He raised an eyebrow challenging her to do something. She stood there, unmoving. She wouldn't use on him, she didn't believe in it. He just stared at her, the same stare he gave her earlier. He could see her resolve crumble. "You're a jackass, Garwin." She stormed off, leaving him alone at the bar.

"Hey, Nicki, how 'bout those drinks?" He slid them across the bar, and Reid grabbed them before they fell off the bar. He looked at the older man, who was slightly glaring at them. He knew those kids, they were regulars, and he was interested in what happened with them. It was clear that he wasn't happy. "What?" Reid muttered before walking off.

He handed Tyler his drink, more like shoved it at him. He fucked up, big time. She had never threatened to use on him, never even tried. She rarely ever used, having more control than the rest of them, and if he had gotten her mad enough to, then it was definitely not a good thing. "Didn't go well, huh?"

Reid flipped him the bird, gulping down his drink in a matter of seconds. Boy did he wish it was a beer. "Set the table Baby Boy. I'm gonna kick your ass."

He lost himself in the game, taking his aggression out on the little balls. He was so pissed, he expected to crack a few of them. Eventually, he calmed down enough to begin joking with Tyler again, betting he couldn't do this, or do that. By the end, he had racked up quite a load of cash, or tab of drinks, whatever they were betting with now.

Tyler had run to get drinks, loosing the last round. Reid was leaning against he wall, pool cube in his hand. His eyes were on the table, where the rest of his friends sat. Pogue and Kate were nuzzling together, and Alex and Caleb were laughing at something that Reid couldn't hear. He heard the familiar creak of the door, and turned to it just in time to see Aaron and his friends walk in.

His eyes followed the boy, all the way over to the table he had just been looking at, to the girl he had just fought with. He saw her stand up to hug him, and he saw Aaron grab her hand, leading her out to the dance floor. Reid couldn't hear the song. He was too focused on watching them. Aaron grabbed her waist, dangerously close to her ass. She wrapped her hand around his neck. They stayed like that for a while. Then, Aaron sneaked his hands up her back, pulling her closer. Their bodies were flush. There was no space in between them.

Reid didn't even know that he was squeezing the pool cube until he heard a slight crack. _Shit_. He had broken the wood. Oh well, nothing he couldn't fix. His eyes flashed, repairing the damage.

"Hey, man, here's you're coke. Reid grabbed it greedily, downing it quickly. "What are you looking…", Tyler stopped the second he followed Reid's gaze. "Oh, that…", He could hear a change in Tyler's voice. He looked over to see his friend clutching the pool cube just as hard as he had.

"Be careful Baby Boy, you'll break that." He took the initiative took set the table himself. He broke the balls, sending them flying into their respective corners, knocking in a few. He shot again, and again, and before he knew it, he had sunk the whole table. He stared down at the little white ball, fighting the urge to sink that, too. He had to hit something, anything, or else he was going to hit_ someone._

"You up for a good match, Garwin?" Reid could tell that voice from anywhere. He had heard it whine in complaint too many times as he had stripped he money. He looked up to see Aaron on the other side of the table, a smile on his face. Alex was close behind, sitting on a barstool.

"What do you wanna bet?" He wanted to smack that smirk of his face.

"How about fifty?" Aaron pulled a wad of cash from his pocket, throwing a bill on the table.

"You got it, man." Reid set the table, yet again, for he didn't know how many times that night.

He motioned for the other boy to break, but Aaron refused. "Naw, man. I insist.

Reid was good at pool, a skill that he practiced a lot with his dad. He prided himself in showing off his _skill,_ not his magic. He prided himself in playing fair. But he really wanted to beat Aaron, not just by a margin, but by the whole damn table. He wanted to knock him down a few pegs. Reid positioned to shoot, and before he broke, he let the fire flash in his eyes.

Aaron didn't have a chance. Not a chance in hell. Reid was too good, and the magic only helped. If he had beaten them before, then he would beat him even more now.

He didn't know how many rounds they had played, how many times he had won. But at the end of the night, Reid's pockets were considerably fuller, and the wad of Aaron's bills had disappeared.

Aaron was angry, his face twisted slightly with rage. "Well, what can I say, I guess the better man won, huh?"

It wasn't Aaron who responded, but Alex. "Reid, you little bastard, can't you leave well enough the fuck alone?" She grabbed Aaron's hand. "Come on. Don't I owe you another dance?" She flashed him a smile, one that made Aaron forget everything. They were back out on the dance floor in a matter of seconds.

Reid spent the rest of the night sulking at a table. He wouldn't play pool, he wouldn't accept a drink, and he wouldn't do anything but stare at Aaron, thinking about how much he hated him. For some reason, taking all his money didn't help anything; it just made it worse. He humiliated him, and she still like him. It made Reid think, maybe there was something more to liking a person that just their reputation, or looks, or image. Hell he didn't know. All he had ever had were… well, fuck arounds.

Reid was snapped out of his thoughts by Caleb. "Hey, man, we're getting ready to leave. Coming?" He looked out to the dance floor one last time before he stood, expecting to see Alex still there, but she wasn't. It was like Caleb was reading his mind. "They're outside, with Pogue and Tyler."

He stood up, walking through the bar. He knew what was coming, he knew they were going to talk to Alex. He didn't know exactly what to expect, but he knew it meant hell for him, especially after what he was planning on saying.

Alex was looking up at Aaron. They were outside with Pogue and Tyler, waiting for Caleb and the jackass. She was trying to say good bye, but it was hard to with her brother over her shoulder.

"I had a good time today," she said, a smile on her lips. She heard the door creak open. Great. Now it was four to two.

"Yeah, me too. I really like you. Have I told you that?" he brushed his thumb on her cheek, again, and she felt the familiar blush on her cheeks.

"Alex! We have to go. NOW!" She heard her brother yell at her, but she chose to ignore it.

"Yeah, once today. And," she faltered, just a little, "I like you too." He smiled, and it was a beautiful smile. And before she knew it, his head was bending down to hers. She could feel Aaron's breath on her lips, and then…

"ALEX!"

She really hated her brother, really really hated him. "Do you see why I don't have a boyfriend?" she asked, pulling away from him.

"No." His hand was still on her face. She looked at him, surprised. "So what if they are a little overbearing, I can deal with them. You're worth it."

If Alex was blushing before, she was blushing even more now. She was speechless. Had he really just offered to deal with them until they got used to this relationship?

Aaron kissed her on the cheek, and then he was gone, leaving her with the brothers. She turned towards them ready for anything they had to throw at her. They weren't going to make it easy, she knew that, but then again, neither was she.

If they wanted war, if Reid wanted war, then she would give it to them.

* * *

thank you to all my lovely reviewers, i love you all!!! Please, keep em coming, and i'll get back to you on the ones you left, promise!! 


	6. Confrontation

So, here it is, and i do have to say, it was the hardest chapter to write. Hope you enjoy...

* * *

The car ride was silent. Caleb and Alex were in the front, and Pogue, having gotten a ride from Kate there, was sitting in the back seat. Reid chose to ride with Tyler, better for him anyway. 

No one spoke, and it was almost like no one was breathing. They all knew what was coming, and nobody wanted to egg it on. It was going to be bad enough as it was.

Caleb reached across the car and grabbed Alex's hand, silently giving her support. He said that he was willing to give Aaron a try, but she wondered whose side he would be on by the end of the night.

They were headed toward Putnam barn, Alex could tell by the scenery flying outside her window. Caleb must be speeding. She wished that he would slow down. She didn't admit it, but she wasn't in a hurry to get to the fight. She was nervous. How was she going to defend the whole Aaron thing? Obviously _it's not your business _was going to work. It didn't for Reid. He only made it his business.

Before she knew it, they were parked out in front of the barn, waiting for Tyler and Reid. She stepped out of the car, needing some fresh air. Really, she needed to get away from her brother. His aura was stifling her, red hot with anger. She heard Caleb's door close behind her. He sat on the hood of his car, watching her walk towards the old building. It wasn't long before her brother followed suit.

Alex recognized the bright halogen lights of Tyler's hummer. She heard two more car doors shut…slam actually. She began walking towards the middle of the clearing, aware that four bodies were following her.

They stood in a circle, kind of a habit for them. She was in between Caleb and Tyler, the only two people she didn't hate right now. There were a few moments of awkward silence before Pogue broke it, unable to contain himself any longer. "So what with you and Aaron?" It was obvious that he want calm.

"What's with me and Aaron is none of your business Pogue!" she snapped. They already knew the answer, why did she have to say it.

"Cut the crap, Alex! We both know it's my business. You're my sister, and that makes it my business." He was shouting. If they had been any closer to town, someone would have heard. Caleb silently wondered if his father could hear it, or Gorman.

"The hell it is! You have no say in what is your business and what not. It's my life, and I don't give a fuck how much older you are than me, or if you threaten to tell mom and dad, it won't change anything."

Pogue fell silent. She had just eliminated all his arguments in a matter of seconds. Maybe this excuse would work after all.

Or maybe not. "Well, what about your friends, they don't have any say either?" Tyler was taking a calmer approach to the whole thing, but it didn't matter.

"No, Tyler, not anymore. Because, you see, I tried that, and that little bitch over there couldn't keep a secret." She was lashing out at Reid, hoping that he would say something. She couldn't stand it. He was standing there, arms crossed, hand resting on his mouth. She could feel him staring at her, and it was making her shift uncomfortably in her own skin.

Reid was going to say something, but not yet. He was going to wait; he had a plan, one all the brothers had agreed on. It would leave the two of them alone to solve their own problems. Hell, they didn't want to be around when the tornado hit anyway. But for now, he was going to sit there, silently, letting it get to her.

"Well, now the cat's out of the bag, so what's you excuse?" Tyler was brave tonight, he must be pretty angry. He never challenged anyone. He was too quiet, but not tonight.

"Because it's none of your business!" She really couldn't think of another excuse than that, other than the truth, that she was afraid that they would push him away. She didn't want that, but most of all she didn't want to hurt them by saying it.

Screw it. Maybe it would make them understand. "Look, you four scare people, namely guys who are interested in me. For some reason, they can only get so close before they think that you'll beat the shit out of them." Alex registered how little shocked they were at that statement. She made a mental note to ask them about that later. "Aaron's the first boy who had even offered to attempt to get by that. All I'm asking you for is to give it a chance, let him prove himself. Then, if he really proves to be a jackass, then he's your ass to kick.

They were gonna take her up on that offer, if it ever got to that.

"Please?"

She was really asking them, not for approval, but at least time. And Caleb wanted to give it to her. "I think she at least deserves that much."

Tyler was the first to agree. As long as the situation was under control, he was happy. Pogue was next. He didn't really have a choice. And then it came down to Reid.

He didn't say anything for a second, just stared at her, stared into her eyes. She wanted this, she really did, and he wanted to make her happy, but he didn't want to give this to her. He didn't want to give her time to get her heart broken. So he decided on specifying the terms a little. "I'll be watching him, and the second he steps out of bounds, the second he hurts you, his ass will be mine. Deal?" He was betting, and he didn't expect her to take the terms. But then again, she surprised him a couple of times tonight already.

"Deal." It was all she said. Reid nodded his agreement, and with that it was settled. They'd step off the playing field, but they would be on the sidelines, waiting.

It seemed like there was nothing to say. Caleb and Pogue headed for the mustang, and Tyler follwed. Alex moved to follow, but she felt a hand grasp her wrist. She looked up into the face of Reid, who was smirking at her. "Ah, ah, ah, Sweets. Not until we settle our issues."

"I told you, I'm not mad, Garwin." She was lying through her teeth. She was even madder at him now than she was on the way to Nicki's.

And Reid called her on that. "Bullshit." She looked back to the boys expecting to see them waiting for her, but she saw something completely different.

Caleb, Tyler, and Pogue were all piling into the mustang, leaving the hummer unoccupied. It didn't hit her until she heard the familiar roar of the engine and the squealing of tires on pavement.

She looked back to her sole companion who was still holding her wrist. His smirk widened as he dangled Tyler's hummer keys in front of her face. There was no way this would have happened unless they had planned it out before hand. She couldn't believe that they had done that to her, that Caleb had done that.

She was going to kick their ass.

Caleb was pretty sure that he was going to get an earful from Alex tomorrow, but he couldn't help it. He was going to make those two work out their differences. Those two cared far too much about each other to be at each other's throats, even if they didn't know it yet.

He wasn't sure, really, it was only a suspicious feeling, but there was something about those two that clicked differently than the rest.

In truth, that's why he wasn't really worried about Aaron. He knew that Reid had the situation at hand. Besides, he didn't seem him sticking around too much longer anyway.

He didn't think that stranding them in the woods would deny or confirm anything, but there was always the possibility that it would at least restore the balance between those two.

Caleb was brought back to the present by the sound of his two friends, rolling in laughter in the back seat. "I'm telling you man, Reid is going to come back without balls!", Tyler choked out in between bursts of laughter.

Caleb chuckled. Of course, that was always a possibility, too.

Alex and Reid stood in the middle of the clearing, keys dangling in between them. She tried to grab them out of his hand, but like before, he was too fast for her. They were back in his pocket before she could blink her eyes.

The next thing she tried to do was wrench out of his grip, but he held fast to her arm. He was squeezing tight enough to keep her where she was, but not tight enough to hurt her. "Get off of me Garwin!"

"Nope, can't do that. As far as I'm concerned we haven't solved anything yet. In fact, you're only make it worse." He was teasing her.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. I'm giving you the chance to apologize, and your missing your opportunity." Sarcasm was thick in her voice, but she managed to miss it.

"Apologize. I'm not the one who should be apologizing." She tried to pull away again, but he didn't loosen his grip.

"Relax, I was only joking. Don't get your panties in a twist." He should have stopped there, but a wicked thought leaped into his mind, and suddenly, he had a bad case of word vomit. "Are you even wearing any?"

He had gone too far. He didn't realize it until he felt something solid smack him across the face, hard. She had just bitch slapped him. Reid Garwin had just been bitch slapped by a girl!

The force was enough to make him break his concentration, and the hold on her wrist. She was nearly half way to Tyler's car before Reid caught her.

He grabbed her around the waist, rooting her to the spot. "Where do you think you're going? We haven't fixed anything."

"Yeah, because you're a pathetic jackass. I swear on my life, I don't fucking understand you!" She was thrashing against him trying to break free. Boy, was he strong.

"No one said you had to understand me sweets. You just have to live with me."

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty tired of that, too. You have the nerve to promise me, PROMISE ME, that you wouldn't tell anyone about the Aaron thing, but then you go and run your mouth to my brother! What the hell did you think was going to happen? That I wasn't going to care? That I wasn't going to be mad? Well you're-"

"I'M SORRY!" Reid's voice cut in, stopping her flow of words. She stopped trying to get free. Alex turned to face him, Reid loosening his hold so that she could, but not enough that she would get away.

She stood there, looking into his eyes. His arms were still wrapped around her, and she didn't try to get free. She was too stunned. Reid Garwin had just said two words that she never thought that he would utter. In fact, she almost though she was dreaming. But then he said it again. "I'm sorry, Alex."

He was sincere. She could see it in his eyes. "I'm sorry, too."

"Why, you didn't do anything. You have every right to be mad at me, but I hope that you'll forgive me, give me a second chance."

She threw her arms around his neck in response. He really could be a decent guy when he tried to be.

"Just promise me one thing?" She nodded, her head resting on his shoulder. "You won't tell the guys that I ever said I'm sorry?"

He could feel her smile on her shoulder. "Okay."

Reid drove her to her parents' home. Pogue and Alex stayed there on the weekends sometimes. It was kind of a rule of their parents.

He knew the way by heart, so he focused most of his attention on Alex. He was happy now that she didn't want to tear his throat out, or his balls off.

Before he knew it, they were up in front of her house. She had opened the door, but turned to him before she left. "How many guys have the four of you scared off, purposely?"

Reid didn't want to answer that question, but he knew that he had to. "Oh, just five or six."

She smiled. "So, basically, all of them."

"No, just the losers." She pushed his shoulder playfully. "Just the ones who weren't good enough for you."

"Really. Well, if they weren't good enough for me, then who is?" She had asked playfully, but he knew that it was a serious question.

"Anyone who makes you happy." _As long as it's not Abbott. Or any of the other six._

"And what makes you think that they wouldn't have made me happy?"

He didn't have an answer to that one. "Well, it doesn't matter now anyway does it?"

"No, I guess not. Goodnight Reid"

And with that, she was gone, leaving Reid a little more confused than he was before. Who was good enough for her? Who would make her happy?

And more importantly, why did he care?

* * *

So here's the A/N: There was an element of the relationship between Alex the other three brothers that I wanted to get across, but haven't really managed to fo yet. She had s bond with each of them that i'm not really portraying. So, i was thinking that i wanted to make either a chapter for each of the pairs (brother and Alex) to try and expand on this, or at least devote on chapter divided into four parts. What i want to know from you people is should i do it, and if so, how?? add your response to your review! 

And thank you again for your review, please keep sending them to me!

love you all, and until the next chapter


	7. 7 Brotherly Sacrifice

So, here it is, I'm sorry to keep you waiting...

It took me forever to get another chapter of the story, I couldn't figure out where to go, and I'm not happy about it, scratch that, i hate this chapter. still, I didn't want to keep you waiting. Don't worry, the next chapter will be better.

this is basically meant to be a Pogue Alex relationship chapter anyway, and has no real point to the whole story line. But the next one will deal more with where its going

once again, i'm sorry, and i love you ALL. please, pretty please, review!

* * *

Alex entered her darkened house, stumbling over the table that she knew was there. "Oh, shit." She rubbed her bruised shin. She wondered what time it was, if her parents were already in bed. It had to be at least midnight. 

She carefully made her way to the kitchen, the only lit room in the house, bumping into several things on her way. Finally, she had found herself in the spacious, beautiful room. Her brother was sitting at the bar in the middle, eating a plate of cookies. He smiled when he saw her.

"So, how was the meeting?" He poured her a glass of milk, and she accepted it gratefully. All the screaming she had done today had really hurt her throat.

"Shut it Pogue. I may not be mad at Reid, but I'm not too happy with you right now." She smiled into her glass.

"Really, and why not?" She could tell he had caught on to the sarcasm in her voice, hearing it reflected in his.

"For stranding me out in the middle of some field with Reid."

"Things worked out, didn't they?" She nodded her head, gulping down the last over her milk. "Well, then, you should be thanking me." He grabbed a cookie from his plate

"Oh, where are my manners? Thank you… for the cookie." She snatched the cookie out of his hands. He glared at her. "You really should be working on your reflexes, maybe play some pool." Pogue gave her a confused look. "Well, it seems to be working for Reid."

She took a bite over her cookie. "Look, I'm sorry about the way I acted, with that whole Aaron thing and all. I just want to protect you. I don't want you to get hurt."

Alex sighed. She didn't want to talk about it right now, but he was offering to listen to her, in his own way, so she might as well take advantage of it. "You can't protect me forever, Pogue. I have to grow up sometimes. I have to date sometime, and I have to put my heart out there to do it. I know it will get broken, but I'm strong enough to put it back together, and u have you to help me."

"I know, but why does it have to be Aaron."

"Well, who would you prefer?"

"I don't know, Caleb maybe."

Alex nearly choked on her cookie. "Caleb?" He nodded, and she erupted into laughter, loud enough to wake her parents. "We're just friends, and that is all it will ever be. I love him, but not like that."

"Tyler?"

"Same deal."

"Okay, so what about Reid?"

Alex stared at her, unable to say anything, not sure she had heard him right. "Did you just ask why I didn't date Reid?" He nodded again. "In what way would that be an improvement from Aaron?"

"Guess you're right there. But at least I feel like I could trust him, somewhat."

"Well, maybe if you get to know Aaron, you could trust him."

Pogue knew it was highly unlikely that this would ever happen. He just didn't like Aaron, and not just because of his sister, but because he was a real jackass. He thought that he was above them; he had seen it time and time when Reid played pool with him. No matte how bad he lost, he still acted like he was superior.

But he had to try. He loved his sister, and this relationship meant something to her. And he would do anything it takes to deal with it, and if it meant something to her, then he would make it important to him, too.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe, next next weekend, if I take Kate out, that maybe you and Aaron could come with, and make it a double date. That way, you two could have your date, and I can get to know him." He was stumbling over his words. It was like hell to say this for him.

Alex could tell that he was struggling, and it meant a lot to her that he was even trying. He could have completely chosen to ignore the whole thing, but then again, she knew that when it came to her, he would have done most anything. "Thank you, Pogue. I know you won't regret it."

"Yeah, yeah, your welcome, but I'll be watching him, and if he so much as looks at you in an ungentlemanly way, I swear to god that he'll be leaving that room with a couple of bruises."

"Pogue, you have to get used to it eventually."

"Yeah, I know, but there's only so much I can take at one time."

"Okay," she conceded. "We won't grope at dinner."

"Thanks, sis." He yawned, standing up. "I'm going to bed, got plans tomorrow." He bent down to place a kiss on the top of her head before heading towards the door.

"But I can't make any promises about Nicki's tomorrow, though!" She shouted after him.

"Goodnight, Alex!"

"Goodnight, Pogue!"

And it really had been. She smiled to herself. She finished her cookie in a few bites, leaving the dishes on the counter. Things hadn't gone too bad. She just hoped they would stay that way.


	8. The Beginning of a Change

So here it is... my next chapter

* * *

Reid couldn't sleep. He couldn't get his brain to rest, to stop working long enough to fall asleep. It was in overdrive, obsessing about the questions that Alex had asked him. He thrashed in his bed, unable to stay comfortable. He heard a groan from Tyler's bed. "Could you just go to sleep man?"

He had half a mind to get up and punch his friend. "Believe me, I'm trying. Do you really think that I want to be doing this?"

Tyler shifted in his bed to face his friend. He pulled himself into a sitting position. The lights flashed on, blinding them both. "Did something happen tonight after we left?"

Yeah, something did, but he had no idea what happened. They were fine, he had apologized, and they had made up. And then, she threw this curve ball at him, threw him in the middle of a storm. He didn't think that he would find his way out. It was just a simple question. How _did_ he know who would make her happy? But that had raised so many other questions.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with Baby Boy." He said shaking his head.

"Reid, what happened?" Either Reid was going to tell him, or he would force it out of him, which he could do, they both knew that. Tyler was stronger than he pretended to be, even though he was youngest.

Reid sighed. "She's just got me thinking man, that's all. I mean, why the fuck do I care about who she dates, or if she gets her heart broken. Why am I so concerned with whether or not she's happy?"

"Because you care about her, just like the rest of us do. We've grown up with her. She's like a sister to us."

"I don't know, man. It just feels…"

"Different?" asked Tyler. Reid nodded. "How so?"

"I don't know. I mean, I…" He beat his head against his headboard. "When I saw her with Aaron, I didn't just feel protective of her. I mean I was, but I was, it just seemed like… I felt something that I've never felt, almost like I…"

"You're making absolutely no sense, man." Tyler was used to Reid not being able to say what he wanted, but this was even beyond his comprehension.

"It's just, why am I the first one to get pissed, the first one to jump when she likes someone. Why was I the last one to give in to this Aaron thing when the rest of you had already said okay? Why do I still want to beat the shit out of him for nearly, _nearly_, touching her ass? And…" he stopped, not sure he wanted to say the next thing. "why can she make me do things that I never thought that I would do in my entire life. Why does she _make _me want to do that?"

"Like what," asked Tyler, really confused.

"I apologized to her. I actually said that I was sorry, _twice_."

Tyler chuckled. "Wow, I never thought that I would see the day that you apologized, or even admitted it."

"Shut the fuck up man. Go to sleep Baby Boy, I don't wanna hear you whine and cry tomorrow." His eyes flashed, and the lights went off.

Reid slid back down into the bed, lying on his back. Talking about it had just made things worse. Maybe Tyler was right, maybe he was just so concerned because she was who she was, his best friend, someone who he had grown up with, like his sister.

But somehow, he really doubted that.

Alex woke up to the sound of a ringing cell phone. She groaned, reaching for the annoying piece of plastic, knocking a few things over in the process. Finally, her hand came crashing down on the cold material. "Hello?" she grumbled.

"Good morning, sleepy head." Caleb's voice was cheerful on the other end of the phone. "How was your night last night?"

"Just wonderful thank you very much." She looked at the clock. It was seven fifteen. "Reid and I got everything settled out."

"So, everything's back to normal?"

Alex laughed. "Things are never normal here Caleb, you know that."

"Guess you're right. Listen, I was calling to see if I could take you out to breakfast to make up for stranding you in the field."

"Caleb, you don't need to make up for anything. But you can still take me out to breakfast, on one term." She smiled, waiting for his response.

"What's that?" he asked. She could hear his smile through the phone.

"I want coffee." She heard a laugh on the other end of the phone. Her smile widened.

"Deal."

"Great." When will you be here?" She stood up stretching.

"Actually, I'm pulling up in your driveway right now." She looked out of her window to find Caleb's car at her gate. He knew the code by heart. The gate slid open, and he sped towards the house.

"Shit. Okay, give me, like fifteen minutes." She hung up on Caleb, throwing her phone onto her dresser. Her hair was a mess, still scrunched from last night. She pulled her curls into a messy bun. Within ten minutes, she had brushed her teeth, picked out her outfit, and bounded down the three flights of stairs to find Caleb in the kitchen with her father.

They were laughing when Alex entered the room. Her father heard the door open, and turned to face her. "Ah, good morning, honey."

"Morning, Dad." She went to stand next to Caleb, nudging his shoulder.

"The two of you have plans today?" Her father understood their relationship very well. It was evident how close they were, and he trusted Caleb with Alex as much as he trusted Pogue.

"Yeah," it was Caleb who responded. "I'm taking her out to breakfast."

"Alright, well, have fun."

Caleb grabbed Alex's hand and led her out to his car. They were both buckled in, and Caleb had started the car. "So, coffee?" Alex asked, not fully awake yet.

"Coffee." It was a one word response, but it was all she needed. She could hear the engine rev as Caleb nearly peeled out of the driveway. Why her parents trusted a seventeen year old boy in a V-8 mustang enough to let their daughter ride around with them was beyond her. Then again, they let Pogue get a bike.

"So," Caleb began, looking over at his friend. "Tell me what happened last night."

Alex relayed the whole events of last night. Actually, she relayed the entirety of events concerning her and Reid that he didn't know, starting with after school. She omitted a few things of course, like the paper wad, and the fact that Reid said he was sorry. She nearly told him, not because she wanted to break her promise, but because she wanted _someone _to know.

She already had coffee in hand by the time she reached the car ride with Reid. Caleb and Alex were walking down the boardwalk, towards a little diner near the end. "And I asked him how many times you guys have scared off someone."

Caleb nearly chocked on his coffee. "You knew about that."

"Not until last night, when the four of you didn't act surprised that my dates always seemed to be scared of you."

"We didn't so much as scare them on purpose as tell them what would happen if the hurt you."

"So, you admit to being a part of it," she asked, not really caring about the answer. In truth she kind of thought that it was sweet.

"Yes," he took a sip of coffee, "but not as much as your brother and Reid. Really, they did the telling, and Tyler and I went along for the ride."

"Did someone say my name?" Tyler was standing outside of the bookstore that they were walking by, his hand on the door.

"Hey, man. What are you doing here?" asked Caleb, walking over to his friend, Alex following behind.

"Getting a book, for school."

"English?" asked Alex, she might have missed that when she zoned out on Friday.

"Uh, no, creative writing." He looked at her, an awkward smile on his face.

"Oh, that's right! I forgot we needed one! Oh well, I probably have one anyway." She was trying to go through her bookshelf in her head. Any specific one that we need?"

Tyler shook his head, a smile on his face, like he was remembering something. Alex frowned. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just…" he stopped, looking at the pavement, trying to hide his laugh "Nevermind."

"Tyler, what?" she took a step towards him. It really annoyed her when people did that

"What exactly did you do to Reid last night?" He finally looked back up at her, a smile plastered across his face.

"Nothing! Why, did he say that I did?" God, couldn't he go one day without screwing things up.

Tyler could tell that she was slightly annoyed. "No, no. He just came back a little messed up, that's all."

"Messed up how, exactly?" asked Caleb.

"Not like messed up, messed up. He just said that you had him thinking, he just seemed confused about why he cared so much about this Aaron thing.

Alex's frown deepened. What did she say that had made him so confused? She tried to think back, and suddenly it hit her. She had asked him how he knew what would make her happy, and he was unable to respond. "What exactly did he say?" asked Caleb.

Tyler looked tentatively at Alex, hesitating to answer the question. "Just that the way he felt about the whole thing wasn't just like a protective brother thing. He said it just felt different. He just… said it was different."

A smile crossed Caleb's face. Maybe he was right maybe there was something there that was different. Alex was too preoccupied, trying to think about what it meant. Caleb looked at Tyler, and raised his eyebrows. Tyler shrugged, a smile on his face. There was a whole conversation that had just passed between them, one that Alex didn't have a clue.

They may not have known how, but they had a feeling that something was about to change.

* * *

so, what did you think, please review!!

and to my reviewers, i love you all!! you brighten my day!! I love to hear from you. Please, send me any questions, or ideas, or anything, i want to, i NEED to hear from you!

Thank you, hugs and kisses


	9. Lost in the Music

and here it begins...

i really like this a lot!!! I hope you do too

* * *

As usual for a Saturday night, Nicki's was completely packed. Made up of about half Spencer kids, half Ipswich resident, the crowd mingled together like there was no distinction. The dance floor was nearly full to the point that kids were spilling over the edge into the tables. The bar was crowded on three sides, the customers threatening to empty Nikci's beer supply. And there was a crowd around the pool table, people waiting their turn to play.

Reid was sitting at a table with Tyler, Pogue, and Kate. He had already had his turn at pool, and he had nothing to do, but sit, and wait. For what, he didn't know, but he just felt like he was waiting. His eyes were roaming over the bar, checking out all of the girls he could. There we some pretty hot ones, but none that caught his interest. There was one girl, a blonde, wearing the shortest skirt he had ever seen. He almost had the urge to shoot a gust of wind her way, but decided it was best if he didn't.

He was about to die of boredom when he heard Caleb's voice. "Hey guys, how's it hanging?" He plopped down in a seat next to Tyler. "Not playing pool tonight, Reid?"

"Naw man, too may people. Besides, I've got enough money earlier tonight to last me the whole week. He pulled out a large was of bills before stuffing it back into his pockets. "Alex here?" he asked. Maybe he could have a little fun with her.

'Yeah, in the bathroom, man. And let me tell you, she looks smokin' tonight. Aaron is going to have a heart attack.

Pogue looked at his best friend, arm wrapped around Kate. "You let her walk out of the house looking like that?"

Caleb laughed. "Didn't have a choice man, you know her."

Pogue shook his head. "Be back later boys." Reid stood up and walked towards the bathroom. He could barely make it through the bar with all the people. He made it just in time to see Alex walk out of the bathroom. He looked up, and nearly froze where he stood.

What Caleb had said didn't do her justice. Her naturally curly hair fell over her shoulders, bangs pinned back with bobby pins. She was wearing a mini skirt that showed off her gorgeous, toned legs that went for miles into a pair of classy but cute black heels. She was wearing a three quarter sleeve black shirt that went down to about the halfway mark of her skirt, and a belt over it at her waist. She had on a choker, and a few dangle bracelets. His mouth dropped open, and he nearly forgot who she was.

He wanted to tell her she looked beautiful, but it didn't come out like that. It didn't come out anything like that. "Well, well, well, what kind of underwear are we wearing tonight?"

He expected her to slap him again, he had even prepared for it, but instead, she just laughed, a smile crossing her face. "Well, you're just going to have to guess aren't you?"

She bit her lip and crossed the hallway to him. Reid was dressed in his normal wear. He had on a grey t-shirt and baggy pants. He was wearing his black skater shoes, his fingerless gloves, and his hat. But something about his manner tonight made him look, well… cute.

Reid raised his eyebrow. He liked this game. He let his eyes roam over her, taking in her outfit. "Let's see, black cotton."

She shook her head. "Nope." He leaned against the wall. It was going to be a long game.

"Blue thong?" She shook her head again, leaning against the wall next to him. "White lace?"

"Getting warmer." She took a step closer to him.

"Color or fabric?" He bent his head to the side, studying her face.

"Fabric."

"Pink lace?" He was guessing like Tyler now; it was his favorite choice.

She smiled. "Ding ding ding. You are correct." She pushed her hip out towards them.

Reid bit his lip. Thinking about Alex in her underwear wasn't helping to clear his thoughts. They were only making things more of a mess. "Tyler would be pleased." She frowned in confusion. "He always guessed pink lace." She nodded in understanding. "So, do I get to see them?"

What was he thinking? He was talking with Alex, about her underwear. The girl had grown up like her sister, and he was asking her about her underwear. The answer, he wasn't. He was just letting it take over. What exactly _it _was, he had no idea, but he liked it.

"No, I don't think so, not tonight anyway." It was her turn to bite her lip now.

"Well, in that case, how about a dance then, Sweets."

"That I think I can do." Reid grabbed her hand and pushed his way through the crowd to the middle of the dance floor. It was a slow song, and Reid didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her, pulling her to him. His hands came to rest on her lower back. She laid her head on his shoulder, right in the crook of his neck, his check against his chest. She placed her hands on his hips, sliding one to his back.

He breathed in the sweet scent of cherries. He had never smelt something so wonderful in his life; it nearly intoxicated him to the point of drunkenness. It was a funny thought, being drunk on shampoo.

He had stopped thinking altogether at this point, and he just felt. He felt her heartbeat on his chest. He felt the warmth of her body pressed against his, and the evenness of her breathing. He felt the curves of her beneath his fingers. He never really realized how perfectly curved she was, how beautiful.

Everything seemed prefect in that moment.

The song was over before he was ready, and a fast one began playing. She pulled away from him, smiling. She took a step towards away, like she was going to leave, but he grabbed her hands to stop her. "Where are you going, Sweets." There was a smirk on his face. "You don't wanna dance?"

"I can't dance, not to this."

Reid really doubted that. "Have you tried?" She shook her head. "Do you want to try?" She smiled, and nodded. "Okay, just follow my lead." He pulled her towards him, resting her hands on her hips, swaying them to the music. Her hands rested on his biceps. She looked up at him. "Feel the music, Sweets. Get lost in it."

She did just that. She let Reid's hands guide her until she began to move on her own. She closed her eyes and slid her hands up his arms and wrapped them around her neck. She pulled herself towards him, leaving only a few inches between them.

It wasn't long before Reid closed the gap. He pulled her closer to him, until their bodies were flush. He could feel every part of her up against him, like they were before. But there was something different about it now. Maybe it was the way they were moving, maybe it was something else. Either way, he never wanted it to stop.

Alex had stopped thinking about anything other than Reid. She couldn't help it. The feeling of his body on hers was overwhelming her senses, her mind. She had never danced like this before, and she vaguely wondered why she hadn't. She could feel Reid's hands on her back as he moved them, and her skin burned under his touch, but not in a bad way. She could feel his breath on her neck, and she completely disconnected from her mind at this point.

She never wanted this to end. She wanted to stay here with him, with Reid, and dance forever. She felt complete. It was amazing. She wondered if Aaron could ever make her feel this way when they danced.

Her eyes snapped open. _Aaron._ She liked Aaron. She was dating Aaron. So why was she dancing with Reid. Why was she enjoying it?

She suddenly felt very uncomfortable and aware that Reid's body was flush with hers. She had to get out of here. She stumbled backwards a few steps. "I… I'm sorry. I have to go."

"You okay?" He asked, taking a step towards her. She took another step back.

"No, not so much." She turned and left, leaving Reid standing there alone.

What had just happened? They were having fun, and then, she was gone.

But that wasn't the most important thing. What had he done? He just stopped thinking, he couldn't help himself. He just wanted it, to feel her, to touch her, so bad. It was burning a hole in him.

_Fuck. What the hell is going on?_ He didn't understand it. It was Pogue' sister, his best friend. But now, things didn't seem the same. It was like there was something his mind that had been there all this time, and now, it was clawing its way to the surface, taking over him.

He had to figure it out, deal with it, before he fucked everything up completely.

Alex was hot, hotter than she had ever been. He cheeks were flush, and the red spread down her body. Even away from him she couldn't cool down.

"Hey." She jumped. Her brother was behind her.

"Fuck, Pogue, you scared the shit out of me!" She took a deep breath.

"Are…you okay?", he asked. He placed a hand on her forehead. "You're burning up."

She swatted him away. "I'm fine Pogue. It's just hot in here. I need to go outside, get some fresh air."

"You want me to go with you?" He was concerned, but she was pissed.

"Jesus Pogue, I'm not a baby. I can take care of myself." She stormed away from him and out the back door. She leaned against the brick wall, breathing heavily.

What was going on? Why did she give in so easy to him? She was having fun, yes. But it was almost like she wanted it, she wanted him to touch her like that, to hold her.

But that was crazy. It was Reid, for Christ sakes. She spent more time pissed at him than she spent on good terms with him, lately anyway. And it might as well have been like wanting to dance with Caleb like that. Okay, she might have wanted to dance with Caleb like that, but just as friends, not with the... the passion she had just felt.

She just got carried away, that all. She got lost in the music, the atmosphere. It had nothing to do with Reid. Nothing.

"Hey, Alex." She looked up to find Aaron walking over towards her.

"Hey, Aaron." She gave him a hug. He kissed her on the cheeks. "I didn't think that you were coming tonight."

"Well, I had to see my favorite girl, didn't I. You look great."

If it was possible, she would have blushed more. "Really, I'm glad you like it. I dressed up just for you, you know."

He grabbed her hand. "You look great in anything, no matter what you where, no matter when." A smile crossed her face. Within seconds, Aaron had calmed her down. "Come on, let's go inside." And with that, he lead her into the bar.

Reid nearly fumed when he saw Abbott with Alex, arm wrapped around her waist, like she was his. They weren't even official yet.

He watched the two of them as they took a seat next to Tyler at the table. He really was pissed at him Aaron for having the nerve to act like that was just an everyday occurrence. He didn't dare go over there, he didn't know if he could control himself.

His eyes followed the two as they went to the bar. Aaron brought her a drink, and they laughed as she finished off. Aaron whispered in her ear, and she saw Alex give a faint nod.

Reid glared. He was pulling her out to the dance floor, and his arms wrapped around her, much like his had done earlier. He could feel that feeling again, the one that had lurched up in him last night, the one he tried to explain to Tyler. He couldn't deal with it. Without a second glance, without informing the rest of his friends, he stormed out of the bar, just as confused as yesterday, if not more.

Alex was dancing with Aaron. She didn't see Reid storm out, but he was still on her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about him. He had made her feel like she had never felt before. He had made her burn, set her skin on fire.

And now, as she was dancing with Aaron, as much as she liked him, as much as she wanted to be with him, she felt ice cold.

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review, please! 


	10. No So Secret Feelings

so, here it is my lovely readers.

Mighty Kajtek, this chapter is for you! full of Tyler goodness...

* * *

Nicki's was nearly emptied at one in the morning, except for a few Spencer kids and one or two people of Ipswich. Aaron had left hours ago, and Alex had managed to avoid the rest of the group, until now.

There was nowhere else to go, no one to talk to. She stumbled through the bar, half asleep, and sat down next to Kate.

"Long time, no see," she said, giving her a smile. "Having fun?"

"Yeah." She looked around. Caleb was gone, and so was Reid. "Where did those two run off to?"

"Well, Caleb left right after Aaron, and god knows where Reid went. We haven't seen him since he went to go find you." Her smiled widened. Alex frowned at her. "Hey, Pogue, could you get me a drink?"

He was in the middle of a conversation with Tyler. "Huh? Oh, yeah baby. Be right back." He stood up, continuing his conversation with Tyler, who followed behind.

Kate leaned in toward Alex. "So did you have fun dancing?" She was still smiling.

"Yeah, it was fun. Aaron-"

"I wasn't talking about with Aaron," she interrupted. "I was talking about with Reid."

Alex's eyebrows shot up. She didn't think that anyone had seen it. They were in the middle of a dance floor, a packed crowed dance floor. "You saw that!"

"Uh huh."

"Did Pogue?"

She shook her head. "No, no one else saw. I just happened to be walking to the bathroom, and there was this little gap that I could see through. So, did you have fun?"

Alex thought about that for a second. She did have fun, a lot of fun. But did she really want to admit that? "Yeah, it was… great."

"It looked pretty great. Pretty intense, too, if you ask me. I could see the vibes coming off you guys. It put me and Pogue to shame."

"There was no vibe. There wasn't anything. I just… got lost in the music, that's all. It was a good song, and I had never danced like that before. I just-"

"One coke, for my baby." Pogue and Tyler had come back. Alex didn't dare finish their conversation. Kate gave her a look that told her it wasn't over.

"Hey, Pogue, are you planning on leaving anytime soon. I'm really tired." She yawned for effect. It didn't look like he wanted to go anytime soon by the face that he gave her. She wasn't the only one who picked up on it.

"I'll take you home," Tyler offered. "I need to go home anyway."

"You don't have to do that, it's so far out of your way." She shook her head, declining the offer, even though she was tempted.

"Don't worry about it. It's no trouble, really."

She couldn't refuse the offer twice. "Okay, but I owe you one."

Tyler laughed. "I need help on the English homework."

"Deal." She smiled at him as they walked out of the bar, leaving Kate and Pogue to do god knows what.

The car ride was virtually silent. Tyler had the radio playing lowly, and no one was talking. Tyler was just quiet by nature, and Alex…well, she was just preoccupied.

"So, what happened tonight?" Tyler finally asked, about five minutes from her house.

She turned towards him. "What do you mean? Nothing happened tonight."

He looked at her, taking his eyes off the road. "Alex, I know you. Something happened. So please, I'm offering to listen to you, and I promise that I won't go protective brother on you. I won't even comment, unless you want me to."

Alex sighed. She always forgot how much Tyler completely understood her, understood everything about her, and vice versa. When she was little, she used to tell him everything, and he would confide in her. But over the years, he had grown quieter than he used to be, even to her. It was like once he had turned thirteen and gotten his powers, he became shy. They had managed to stay close anyways, and there would still be times when things would be like they used to be.

This was one of them. She sighed again. "Tonight, when Reid came to look for me, when he found me, we talked for a while." She laughed. "He asked about my underwear." It was clear that Tyler was surprised, but, true to his word, he didn't say anything. "Anyway, he wanted to know what kind I was wearing, and I made him guess. It took him a while, but he finally did. Then… he asked if he could see them. I should have been mad at him, but I couldn't make myself. Then he asked me to dance…"

She stopped, hoping she would be done. But no such luck. "Go on."

"It was a slow song, so we danced, and when it was over, a fast one started playing. I went to leave, but he asked me why I didn't want to dance. And I told him I didn't know how. He offered to show me, and I said okay. Before I knew it, we were flush against each other, and his hands were roaming over back, and I could feel his breath on my neck, and…"

She could feel the blush spread across her cheeks again. Just the memory made her crazy. "It was amazing," she continued.

"How so." Tyler asked, frowning.

She just spilled her guts, without even hesitating. "It felt right, to be dancing with him, and feeling his body up against mine. And, I swear to you Tyler, I thought that I was going to catch fire the way my skin burned when he touched me. It just felt, I don't know what it felt. It just felt… right, I guess. It was like I was in this trance; I lost myself to the music. But then, I thought about what it would feel like dancing with Aaron, and I just kind of snapped out of it. I left him standing on the dance floor, and went outside to get some air, trying to clear my head."

She took a breath. It felt good to tell him. She was waiting for him to say something, anything at all. But he sat in silence, like he had promised. "Tyler, you can say something."

"I'm not sure I know what to say. Do… do you have feelings, for Reid?"

Why did everyone keep thinking that? "Don't be crazy, Tyler. That's insane. I mean, we're talking about Reid. I would never, ever have feeling for him. No way in hell."

"Are you sure?" He already knew the answer, and he already knew what she was going to say, but he had to ask anyway.

"YES! I'm sure." _I don't._ _There's no way._

"Let me ask you this. How did you feel when you danced with Aaron?"

Why did he have to ask that? Why? "I didn't feel like I did with Reid, that's for sure."

"How was it different?"

"Well, I at least was in touch with my consciousness when I was with Aaron. I could form a complete thought. Whereas, with Reid…"

"You had no control over anything?"

"Exactly."

"But you have no feelings for Reid, whatsoever?"

She didn't answer. She just stared out of the window. They were at her house now, sitting in front of the stairway to the door. How was it that all of her friends knew the code?"

She felt Tyler's hand on her leg, but she didn't look back at him. "Alex, I know that it's hard to admit things sometimes, and I know that your hardheadedness doesn't help. But look at the signs. Do you seriously think that there is now way, not a chance that you might like Reid."

She hated him right now. She hated him, because he was forcing her to face a scenario that was completely and utterly possible. Actually, it was pretty probable. But, Tyler was right. She was stubborn, and right now, she was convinced that she didn't have any feelings for him. "I'm sure, Tyler. I'm positive."

He laughed. She was more stubborn that he would have thought possible. The signs were in front of her face. She could finally see something that the rest of them already knew, and she refused to believe it.

But that was okay. He knew her, and it was only a matter of time before she would realize it.

And if she wouldn't do it on her own, or with his help, then maybe Reid would be able to.

That of course, was after he realized it himself.

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so, did you like. please review. send me some ideas, questions, praise, anything... i don't care, i just want to hear it!


	11. A Hint of Jealousy

so, here it is, short, but enough for this chapter. It's really just a setting to the next chapter, which i hope will be what you've been waiting for.

let's just say there will be a little bit of realization, at least on one part! but it might not be up right away. it is going to be long!

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Reid was pacing in his room, waiting for his friend to return. He looked at the clock. It was nearly two in the morning. He had left Nicki's almost four hours ago, and he had been in this room, pacing, just pacing.

Where was Tyler? He was always home by now. What was taking him so long? Finally, he heard the click of a key in the door.

"Where the hell have you been?", he yelled as soon as Tyler walked in the door. His friend stepped back.

"I could ask the same of you. You just bolt out of Nicki's not telling anyone where you're going." His was in a playful mood, but Reid didn't feel like dealing with it.

"Cut the crap, Baby Boy. Where the fuck have you been?"

"Relax, man. I took Alex home. Pogue wasn't ready to leave so I offered her a ride home." Reid continued pacing on the floor. "Something wrong, man?"

Reid didn't respond. He put his hands behind his head, pacing the floor. Now that Tyler was here, he wasn't sure that he wanted to say anything.

Tyler walked over and sat on his bed. It was going to be a long night. Reid was never like this, unless he had fucked up, big time. And usually, if he fucked up, it too him a while to admit it. "Man, you're making me tired just watching you."

"Fuck off, man." He paced a few more times before he stopped in front of his bed. He looked at Tyler, who was watching him curiously. "I'm fucked." He sat down, and put his head in his hands.

"Why, because you asked Alex about her underwear, you because you got all hot and bothered when you were dancing with her." Reid's head snapped up to his friend. "She told me on the way to her house."

"She said that I was hot and bothered?"

"No, but I'm just guessing. But is that why you're fucked? Because if so, I really do agree with you, on the underwear thing, anyway. That was pretty fucked up man."

He sighed. "Partly."

"And the other part?"

"Do you remember, last night, when I told you that I felt something when I saw Aaron and Alex together, and it didn't feel like it was just a brotherly thing?" Tyler nodded. "Well, I felt it again, and I know what it is now."

"Really, and what exactly are you feeling?" Tyler had to admit. He was having fun with this, too much fun.

"I… I was jealous Baby Boy. Jealous! I have never been jealous a day in my life, and I don't understand why I am now."

Tyler laughed. "Don't play stupid Reid. We both know why you're jealous."

"Really. Do you want to enlighten me, because I have no fucking idea."

"Man, you are a dumb ass." He could see anger flash in Reid's eyes. "Think about it."

Reid took a big breath. Why the hell would he be jealous unless… unless he liked her. But that was ridiculous. Why the hell would he like Alex, when he could have any girl, as many girls as he wanted? He wasn't the kind to have feelings for a girl, he just fucked them.

But why couldn't he like her. She was beautiful, gorgeous really. And she was intelligent, and she had that spunk about her. It drove him crazy. And he lost himself in her today, when they danced. He lost himself in the emotions, in his desire. He had let that part of him take over. He gave in to what he wanted. And what he wanted was… her.

"No fucking way man, no fucking way. She's Pogue's _sister. _She's _Alex._"

"Reid…"

"Just drop it!" He saw his eyes flash.

Tyler sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Reid laid down on his bed, his hands over his eyes. He could hear Tyler moving around, changing. He was focusing on the sounds of his friend to try and keep himself from thinking. Finally, Tyler turned off the lights, leaving them both in utter blackness.

He didn't like Alex. He didn't. And it would be suicide if he did anyway. She was into Aaron. She liked that little fucker…

But it didn't matter who she liked, because he didn't like her. Why did everyone keep thinking that?

He would have to do something to make sure it stopped.

The next week, Reid and Alex spent most of their time avoiding each other. They would do whatever they could to be in different rooms, at different times. There were no more paper ball fights, no more tricks, no more trapping Alex at her locker.

They hadn't spoken a word to each other since that dance at Nicki's, not until Friday. Reid had fallen asleep in English, and still wasn't fully awake when he exited the room. He yawned, and stretched, trying to wake himself up. He hadn't been paying attention to where he was going.

He looked up, and stopped dead in his tracks. He was across the hall from Alex's locker. Oh well, it had to happen sometimes.

He took a second to look at her. Her hair was up, exposing the skin of her neck that disappeared underneath her uniform. His eyes slid over her form. Even in her uniform, she looked pretty damn good.

He may not like her, but he had to admit that she was sexy as hell.

He strode over to where she stood, putting her books up in her locker. And with each step, the memory of last weekend, the memory that no longer affected him, came back in full force.

He placed his hands on her waist, pulling her towards him slightly. "Good afternoon, sweets? How has your week been?"

"Hey Garwin. It's been good. Your's?" She didn't even seem to be shaken by his actions.

"Pretty good. A little too quiet for my taste, but, you know…" He pressed a little harder on her waist, bending his head to look over her shoulder and into her eyes. "Going to that wild party tonight at Kevin's?"

She stared into his eyes, catching her breath. "Yeah, Aaron wants to take me over there tonight." Reid frowned. "Ah, what's the matter honey, don't have a date?"

He glared at her. "No, I was frowning because you're still dating that loser. But I do have a date thank you."

It was her turn to frown, now. "Who"

"Kira."

"Snyder?" She turned a little towards him.

"The very same. Why?"

"Oh, nothing, she just doesn't seem to be your type."

"Sweets, girl is my type." He flashed her his legendary smirk. He bent his head down to her hair, taking in the smell. It was still cherry.

"Reid, I suggest you stop groping me in the middle of the hallway before someone walks up that you don't want to see this."

He laughed. "Don't flatter yourself, sweets. I'm not groping you. You haven't seen groping." His hand slid to her stomach, lightly tracing patterns. She bit her lip, trying to stay calm. But despite her effort, she leaned back against them.

She couldn't let this happen. She had just gotten over the feeling from last week, and now, the simple little touch was dragging her back in.

"Reid." It was a warning. He wanted to stop, but he didn't.

"Are you gonna save me a dance tonight?" He was still looking into her eyes.

"No chance in hell." She wasn't going to have a repeat of last week. She didn't know if she could stand it this time.

"That's a shame. It was so much fun last time."

"Well, don't worry, I'm sure Kira will dance with you." She pulled away from him slightly, breaking the contact, against her instincts. His hand stopped circling on her belly. Now it sat there still, and unmoving. She wasn't sure which one was worse. "So, is she just a fuck?"

Reid didn't respond right away. He sat in silence, looking into her eyes. His hold loosened, and she turned to face him. She didn't know why, but the answer seemed important. They stood there, eyes locked, for what seemed like an eternity.

He dropped his hand from her, and leaned in, a smile on his lips. "All girls are just a fuck Sweets" And with that, he was gone.

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so what did you think...

and i want to thank you for all the wonderful review! it is so nice to hear from you, keep em coming

remember, i want questions, ideas, problems, praise...anything!


	12. Action and Reaction

so, here it is, the moment i beleive that you have been waiting for...

* * *

Reid was starting to think that inviting Kira was a bad idea. No, scratch that. He knew it was a bad idea. She hadn't stopped talking since he had picked her up, and the noise of the party wasn't affecting her either.

At this point, he thought he would rather be hung that listen to her voice for another minute.

They were standing in a doorway of a crowded living room. Reid was leaning against the frame, and Kira was directly in front of him, talking. Nonstop. He had stopped paying attention to her and let his eyes wander over the crowd.

He wanted to tell her to stop, to shut the fuck up, but he didn't want to be a complete jackass. Because, if he was, then he would probably scare her off, and then he would be standing here by himself. Which, he didn't want to do.

He spotted Pogue in the crowd, dancing with Kate. His Brother looked over at him, and Reid nodded towards him. Pogue nodded back before making his way through the room, pulling Kate behind him.

"Hey, Man…Kira." Pogue said, smiling at her. Hearing her name snapped Kira out of whatever trance she was in. She stopped talking and turned to face the speaker.

"Hey Pogue, hey Kate." She moved next to Reid, wrapping her arm around his waist. Reid looked down at her before reluctantly wrapping an arm around her.

A weird kind of silence ensued. Kira and Pogue and Kate weren't on good terms, and they never talked, about anything. So to be standing here, together at a party was pretty awkward. Reid said the first thing he could think of to break the tension.

"Alex here yet."

Pogue smiled at his friend. "Yeah, man, she came about half an hour ago with Aaron, haven't seen them since. Why?"

"Oh, I just feel that I might have some making up to do." He cleared his throat before looking at the ground. He didn't really want to explain the situation to Pogue, because he really didn't feel like getting reprimanded by someone else.

Kate laughed. "What else is new? Just can't stay out of the dog house can you Reid? You're going to have to change that if you want anything to happen." Kate smiled at him, the same kind of smile that Tyler had been wearing last night, like she thought she knew that something was going on. But there wasn't anything at all, besides the fact that she was pissed, and that wasn't even news. Apparently, Kira wouldn't be enough. What the fuck did he have to do?

"Ha ha, very funny Kate." He glared at her. She just shrugged her shoulders.

"C'mon baby, let's go dance." She pulled Pogue along the floor, giving Reid a smile.

He was expecting Kira to pull away from him, but she didn't. Instead, she just turned to face him. "How about a dance?" She flashed him her sexist smile possible, before pulling him out to the dance floor.

There was nothing in that dance. Nothing, other than illusion. He was dancing with Kira, but he was thinking about Alex. He was thinking about the way she felt under his touch, and the feeling of her body on his. It wasn't long before he had forgotten who he was dancing with. To him, it _was_ Alex.

That was, until he looked up to see her, not two yards away with Aaron, dancing. And it was like a spark was lit within him. He hated Aaron, but he wanted to be him, at this moment, with his hands on her, on her…ass.

And then, that jealously turned into anger. He had no right to touch her like than, no right to violate her. He didn't care if she liked it or not.

He had to get out of there, before he did something that he knew he would regret, like beat the shit out of him. He pulled Kira off to the side, back to where they were. She didn't question him, she didn't care. She didn't even take a breath, she just started her non ending, repeating story.

Reid, like before, wasn't listening. Instead, his attention was elsewhere. His eyes were elsewhere. But now, instead of roaming the crowd, they were focused on one spot.

He didn't know how long they had been standing there, or how long she had been talking. He had even forgotten she was there, until he felt her hands on his chest. He looked down to her. She was leaning against him now. Instinctively, he wrapped an arm around her. But only a second passed before his eyes snapped back to Alex.

"Look, I know that you have a… a thing for Pogue's sister. And I think it's cute, but trust me, forget about her. I'm here, and I could make you a lot happier." She flashed him her smile again, a suggestive look in her eyes.

What the hell was going on? He had a girl in front of him that was practically throwing herself at him, and he didn't even care. He didn't want her and he didn't care if she was around him anymore.

He pulled his arms away from her, and looked down at her, coldness in his eyes. "Go away Kira. Find yourself someone else who can stand your constant talking, because I can't." He pushed past her, walking into the crowd.

He wanted to talk to Alex. He needed to talk to her. He couldn't stand it when she was mad at him. But he couldn't be around Aaron either. Things were not going to go well if he did. She would probably be more pissed at him.

It seemed like forever before Aaron left her alone in the crowd, to get drinks or, whatever. He didn't really give a shit.

"Alex!" he called, walking towards her. She turned towards the voice. There was a moment of calm on her face before the anger.

"Fuck off, Garwin." She started to walk away from him, but it was slow work. The crowd was so tightly packed that she couldn't get through. Reid, somehow, was luckier than Alex. The second she stepped through the crowd to a clear place in front of the stairs, he was right behind her.

He grabbed her wrist, rooting her to where she stood. "Come on baby, talk to me."

"No! All girls are just fucks! Really? What the fuck were you thinking?... Get the hell off of me!" She was yelling, but people didn't seem to notice.

"No." He said calmly, a smirk on his face.

"I'm not joking Garwin." Her voice was low, but full of anger. "Get the fuck off of me…now."

"I'm sorry, did I hear a please?"

"You are such an asshole, I swear to god Garwin…"

Reid huffed. She wouldn't just be calm and listen to him. He didn't want any more attention that necessary. He just wanted to settle this in private. He pulled her up the stairs, and she complained the whole way, but he managed to tune it out.

The upstairs was strangely deserted, not something you usually see at parties. He pulled her along the deserted hallway. "Where the hell are you taking me?" He opened the door to a room and shoved her inside, shutting it behind him. "You have fucking problems man." She tried to push past him, but he grabbed her arms. She struggled against him, but he wouldn't let go. He really didn't understand why she didn't use on him, but he was grateful. She could have knocked him out cold if she did.

"Just listen to me Sweets!" He looked into her eyes, hoping that she would calm down.

"I'm not your fuck, Garwin. You can't tell me what to do! I won't take you shit. God, you're so fucked up. What the hell…" She found herself suddenly cut off, and it took her a second to realize why exactly. But then, she realized that Reid's lips were smashed against hers. Her eyes widened, and she was frozen to the spot.

Reid wasn't sure why he had done it, why he had kissed her. He just wanted to shut her up. And she was so beautiful. He just didn't know what else to do, he couldn't help it. Her mouth had been open, seeing as she was in mid sentence, allowing him access to her mouth. His tongue sneaked out, tasting her. He heard a little squeak from her throat before he felt her tongue massaging his.

Alex didn't know what she was doing. She should be pushing him away, smacking him even. But something about it just felt…right. She tried to restrain herself, but she could only hold out for so long. When she felt his tongue in her mouth, she lost all control. She slid her fingers into his blond locks, pulling him closer. She leaned into him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her pressed against him.

They were burning, on fire, senses on overload. Everything they had been feeling was in that kiss. There was nothing but that moment. There was no telling how much time had passed, but when they broke apart, they were breathless.

Alex rested her head on Reid's, her hands still in his hair. She was breathing hard, and it took all of Reid's control not to kiss her again. He sat there, breathing erratic, not wanting to let her other go, to let go of this feeling, this perfect feeling. And if it was up to him, he wouldn't.

"Don't ever. Tell anyone. About this." She whispered, closing her eyes, trying to calm herself. And with that, she was gone.

Alex ran down the stairs. "Oh god oh god oh god," she murmured to herself, running down the stairs. That did not just happen. She did not just _let _that happen. What scared her the most, though, was that she… liked it. It felt good, unlike anything she had ever done. And that was not supposed to happen. It was supposed to be Aaron who hade her feel that way.

She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she ran into Aaron, so hard that she nearly fell over. His arms wrapped around her to keep her on her feet. "Steady there, baby."

She sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hey. Miss me?"

"Yeah, of course. Where have you been?" He pulled her close.

"Bathroom." She lied. He didn't need to know what had just happened. No one did. Except maybe Caleb, or Kate.

"Hey, I need to go. You want a ride home?" He pulled back, looking into her eyes.

"Oh, no, I think Pogue told Dad he was taking me to the dorms. You know, just to be sure. But I'll see you tomorrow?" They were supposed to go on a double date with Kate and Pogue.

"Actually, I can't… a family thing came up, and they kind of need me. I'm really sorry. You don't hate me, do you?"

She smiled. "I don't think that I could ever hate you."

"Good, because, I think that I would die if you did." He bent down to her and placed a soft, gentle kiss on her lips. It was their first kiss, and she couldn't help but think of Reid. "Goodnight, Alex." He smiled at her, and she smiled back as she watched him walk away.

Reid stood in the empty room, unable to do anything. He took a big breath, trying to clear his mind. He had just kissed Alex, and it was better than any kiss he had ever had, and that was saying a lot. It didn't feel weird, like he had expected. Instead, it felt weird that he hadn't kissed her before, like he had been missing something all this time because he hadn't.

_Oh. Fuck. _

This was _not _happening, it could not happen.

_But it is. _

Why the hell was Tyler always right? And why the hell had it taken _him _so long to notice?

He had feelings for Alex, and they were more than friendly. And they were _far _from brotherly.

"I'm fucked."

* * *

so what did you think???? please read and review!

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remember i want ot hear ideas, questions, problems, praise, your cats name... anything!


	13. Hearing Things

so, here it is...

* * *

Alex was sitting at a table, in a small restaurant, with Pogue, Kate, and Caleb, on her double date that was supposed to be with Aaron. She had tried to cancel, but Pogue wouldn't allow it. So she had called Caleb, and he had agreed to go with her. 

She was absentmindedly playing with a napkin, tearing it to shreds. She couldn't focus her mind; she couldn't get her mind off of… Reid. She had even dreamt about him, and the kiss. It didn't even matter, so why was it all she could think about?

"Alex." Caleb looked at his friend, trying to get her attention, but she wasn't listening. "Alex!" he said, a little more forcefully. She finally looked up at him, startled slightly. "Do you wanna dance?"

No. She didn't ever want to dance again. She had come to the conclusion that dancing could only lead to bad, horrible things. But it was Caleb, so how bad could things be? She nodded, and grabbed his hand, pulling him out to the dance floor. Maybe he could distract her.

But there was no such luck. It was a slow song, so there wasn't enough activity to distract her. Instead, she found even less distracted. There wasn't much she could do now, what with Caleb dancing. She didn't like this place. She wanted to be at Nicki's, where there was plenty of noise, and people.

"Alex, are you okay?", asked Caleb, lifting her chin so that he could meet her eyes.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine Caleb, it's just that…" She cleared her throat. "I'm just rethinking this Aaron thing. I mean, things aren't like I thought they would be. I don't feel the way that I thought that I would."

"Alex, you've been dating for like a week, and you haven't talked for more than, what, two weeks?"

"Actually, we've been talking for a little more than a month now." Caleb's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She smiled. "What, you didn't really notice. Guess I did a good job hiding it, huh?"

Caleb calmed down. It didn't really matter, anyway. "Still, it's only a month. You need to give it time, time for things to develop. Love at first sight is pretty rare, you know. And feelings, feelings like what Pogue and Kate have, take time." He wasn't sure why he was trying to talk her into staying with Aaron, but he just didn't think it would be right to jump in and tell her what a great idea it was to break up with him.

"I don't know, Caleb, I mean I know that you're right, but…" she didn't know what she was trying to tell him. She had no idea.

"Is there something else…someone else?" Were her and Reid really developing feelings for one another?

"No, no… no one else." She knew that she answered to too quickly by the look on Caleb's face. There was a big smile plastered on his face. "Really Caleb, there's no one, I promise."

"Oh, really, because something must have happened to make you feel this way." He was still grinning at her.

Yeah, something had happened, last night. But he didn't need to know that. But it wouldn't hurt if her knew about the dance, anyway. Kate did, and so did Tyler. Hell, the only one that didn't know was Pogue, and she wanted to keep it that way. And she knew that Caleb wouldn't tell him, because he knew how important it was that he didn't find out, just like she did.

"Well, Reid and I were dancing the other night, and, I'm not even going to lie, it was great, and I don't know why, so don't ask, but it was… Anyway, I danced with Aaron right after that, and, it didn't feel anything like that, at all. It was nice and all, but…"

"It wasn't amazing."

She nodded. "And I know what you're thinking Caleb Danvers, but I DO NOT have feeling for Reid. Never have, never will. But, the fact that things were so amazing with Reid, and not with Aaron, just really made me think about the whole thing."

"Well, if you think that the feelings aren't there, then, well, maybe they're not." She sighed, and he pulled her closer to him. They had given up on dancing, and now they were standing there on the floor.

She mumbled into his chest. "Can you please distract me?"

Caleb laughed. "No, but I can think of something that would."

She pulled her head up to look into her eyes. "What's that?"

"I'll give you a hint: me, you, Pogue, Kate, a tub of ice cream, and a nice comfy couch."

When Alex had heard Caleb's hint, her mind went instantly into the gutter. Caleb had nearly died laughing at the expression on her face, before finally explaining that he meant a film fest, something they always did when things got hard. It always helped to distract them from the rest of the world.

Kate and Pogue had happily agreed, and the four of them cuddled up on Alex and Pogue's couch, with two bowls of popcorn, and gallon of ice cream, a twenty-four pack of cokes, and three of their favorite movies. By the end of the night, all of the food had been eaten, and the movies watched.

Alex had fallen asleep on the couch, cuddled next to Caleb. Kate had done the same with Pogue. No one had bothered to move the four friends, so they all awoke on the couch, in the same place they had been the night before.

Alex awoke to a smiling Caleb, who was looking down at her. "What?" she mumbled, annoyed at the expression on his face.

"Did you know that you talk in your sleep?" She instantly reddened, turning the color of an apple. _Oh shit, oh shit, OH SHIT. _She had dreamt of Reid again last night, of the kiss. Caleb chuckled, before bending down, kissing her on the top of the head. "Don't worry; it will be our little secret."

Alex relaxed. Somehow, she knew that this was true. "You still know that I don't have feelings for him, right?" She couldn't help but ask.

She heard Caleb laugh again. "Yeah, I know." She was so stubborn.

Reid had spent the entire weekend alone. He had somehow managed to seclude himself from everyone, despite the fact that he shared a room with Tyler. He didn't want to talk to anyone, he just wanted to be alone, and figure things out.

He came to realize that he liked Alex, really liked her. But he still hadn't been able to figure out what he wanted to do about it. He didn't know if he wanted to let it go, which he wasn't sure he could do, or jeopardize everything and go for it. He didn't see how either was possible, but he knew that once he was around her, his decision would be made, like it had been when he was dancing with her, when he had kissed her.

So he avoided her, for the weekend, and then the week, and the next. Two weeks. He went two weeks without seeing her, or his friends, with the exception of Tyler, who had been bugging him constantly about what was going on. Reid didn't tell him, but eventually, his friend had figured it out, and gratefully, he hadn't said anything about it. The younger boy was by far the wisest of them all. He understood that he had to do things on his own.

It wasn't easy for him to seclude himself, like he thought it would be. He missed them: Pogue, and Tyler, and Kate, and Caleb, and… Alex. And he hated not knowing how Aaron was treating her. But he knew that, for right now, it was the best, for everyone. Still, by Friday of the second week, he was wavering dangerously. And he honestly wasn't sure if he would be going to Nicki's tonight or not.

But his decision wound up being made for him.

He was leaving the school building on Friday, taking the long way, trying to avoid his friends. He turned down a long, nearly empty hallway. He hadn't been paying attention to anything in particular, catching pieces of conversations. He hadn't really been interested in any of them, until he reached the intersection of another hallway, and he heard a particular conversation that interested him.

"You going to Nicki's with Alex tonight man?" Reid didn't know who that voice belonged to, but he recognized the voice as one of Aaron's friend.

"No, man, I've got plans with Anna tonight." Was Reid really hearing what he thought he was?

"I thought you were going with Kira?"

He heard Aaron laugh. "Well, I am, and Anna, and Alex." He definitely did not just hear that.

"Uh, huh, and which one do you actually like?"

"I don't know man. I mean, it was Alex at first, all the way, but now I'm really kind of feeling Kira. And Anna, well, Anna's just for a little fun. And really, how do you choose between Kira and Alex? Come on now, I mean, Alex is just begging for it. With those four assholes, she's willing to give it to anyone who will stick around long enough." That was enough for Reid.

"Really Aaron, is that what you think. Is that what you want from her, just a fuck." Reid was in his face faster than Aaron could have guessed.

"All girls are just a fuck, remember Garwin?"

Why the fuck did Alex have to tell him that.

"Not her, man, she's better than that. She's not just a fuck, and she'll never be your fuck."

Aaron laughed, holding his stomach for effect. "That's priceless. You know, Kira told me you had a thing for her, but I never imagined that it was true. Poor, bad ass Reid, a sore spot for a girl who will never feel the same. But don't worry man, I won't upset her too bad."

"Fucking right you won't. Because you'll never fucking talk to her again." He grabbed his jacket, pushing him against the lockers. "Understand?"

"Oh, what, Garwin, are you going to stop me. And if I don't listen, are you going to tell her. Well, go ahead. She won't believe you, and you'll just fuck yourself up more. Just make it easier for me man."

Reid slammed him harder into the lockers. Aaron's friend had tried to pull him off, but he just shrugged him off. No one could mess with him when he was in this mood. "Listen to me jackass, I won't have to tell her, because you won't go around her again, and, if you do, I swear to god, I'll beat the shit of you."

"Is there a problem, boys?" He was fully aware that there was a teacher behind him, but he didn't want to let go. He wanted to make his point. "Mr. Garwin?" Reluctantly, he let go of Aaron, stepping back, stepping down, and giving him permission.

"No, not at all Mr. Dalton." It was Aaron who spoke, never taking his eyes off the blond who still stood menacingly in front of him. Reid was so angry he couldn't speak an entire sentence. "I'll see you tonight. I think Anna can wait."

Aaron pushed past Reid, and his friend followed. He had no idea when the teacher left, but all he knew what that he was in the hallway by himself. Aaron was cheating on Alex, with two girls. Even Reid wasn't that big of a jackass.

Reid punched the lockers, needing to get his agression out. He could feel the pain as his knuckles split, but he was too heated to care.

He had to do something, and there was only one thing he could do. He had to tell her. But how would he convince her?

* * *

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	14. A Fallout is Just The Beginning

so, here it is...

i believe that you all will be happy...

* * *

Reid walked into the bar, an hour later than he had planned on being there. But he just didn't know what he was going to say, or do, to make Alex believe him. He hated to admit it, but Aaron had actually said some pretty correct things; why would Alex believe him? Yeah, they were friends, but _he_ had been the one know to use girls, and, as far as she knew, Aaron was perfect.

He had hoped that maybe Aaron wouldn't show up, so that he could talk to Alex on his own, instead trying to drag her away. They were having problems of their own, what with him avoiding her for the past two weeks, and nothing being settled since the kiss. But that would have to be put on hold for now.

He walked into Nicki's, wearing a black long sleeve shirt, baggy pants, hat, and fingerless gloves. Reid made his way over to the pool table, knowing that Tyler was probably there, waiting for him.

The younger boy was waiting, a pool cube in his hand. "Well, well, well, look who decided to show up tonight. I didn't think that you would ever show up again."

Reid laughed. "Yeah, well I wasn't except that I found out some information that sort of forced me to."

"Like what?" Tyler leaned across the table to his friend, frowning.

Reid hesitated for a moment. He wanted to tell him, but that would cause more problems that it was worth. "Don't worry about it, Baby Boy. Is Aaron with Alex tonight?" He scanned the room, but he wasn't able to see through the crowd.

"Yeah, man, they came about thirty minutes ago. Looks like they've gotten pretty close…"

"What!" asked Reid, spinning towards his friend.

"I mean, he was just all over her, hugging her, kissing her…"

"Where is she?" he wasn't going to make his move tonight, not as long as he was here.

"Um, by the bar I think…" He pointed towards the only visible thing in that direction, the big bald bartender.

"Thanks, Baby Boy." He headed towards that direction, pushing past anybody who was in the way.

He found them sitting at the bar, drinks in hand. Aaron was whispering something in her ear, and she was laughing. "Alex, I need to talk to you, NOW!"

"What, talking to me are you now? Well, maybe I still don't want to talk to you." She wasn't glaring, and she wasn't mad. She was joking with him, a smile on her face.

"Look, I don't have time to play around. I need to talk to you now."

Aaron jumped in, trying to save his ass. He knew what was coming. "Look, she said she didn't want to talk to you man."

Reid turned on him. In seconds, he was in his face. "I wasn't talking to you asshole."

"Reid! What are you doing?" He felt her tug on his arm. "What is your problem?"

"You're talking to me now, fucker. Do you have something to say?" Aaron pushed himself forward, and Reid didn't flinch.

"Yeah, I told you never to talk to her again. You should have listened, dickhead."

"Reid! What the hell is going on? Please, just… come on, talk to me."

He didn't want to back down again, but she was pulling on his arm, offering to talk to him, and he didn't want to miss that even more.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the bar, into the back lot. The door shut behind them, and he turned away from her. "Reid, what's going-"

"He's cheating on you." He nearly whispered it, he was so quiet. But somehow, she managed to hear it.

"What?" She choked out.

"Alex, he's cheating on you." He turned to face her.

She was silent for a moment. It was killing him. "I can't believe you, Reid."

It was his turn to be astonished. "Excuse me?"

"I can't believe you!" Why the hell would you say something like that?" she was shouting at him now.

"Because it's true, Alex! Why would I lie to you?" He was matching her volume.

"Because! You can't stand that I'm happy. You can't stand that I have someone, and you're still fucking alone!" She was walking away from him.

Reid laughed. "That's bullshit. Do you think that I want to be with someone? I am perfectly fine the way I am."

"Why did you kiss me?" Alex turned towards him.

What kind of question was that? "What?"

"You heard me."

He didn't answer for a while. Should he tell her? "I kissed you because…"

"Because what Reid. Come on, just say it." She walked towards him, getting in his face.

"Look, that's not what's important right now. What's important is that Aaron is cheating on you, and you don't fucking believe me!"

"Because there's nothing to believe! He wouldn't do that to me, he cares about me too much."

Reid sighed. He really didn't want to tell her this, but he didn't see a choice. 'He's just using you, Sweets. He just wants you for a fuck, and that's it."

He saw her eyes flash, and he heard a loud crack. His cheek stung, and he could taste blood in his mouth, cutting the inside on his teeth.

She had smacked him. Again. And like last time, it was hard enough to snap his face to the side. They had known each other for sixteen years, and she had never been mad enough to smack him, until Aaron came along. He would have to kick his ass for that too.

He turned to face her. Her eyes were black. "Fuck you Garwin."

She turned to walk away, but Reid grabbed her around the waist, spinning her to face him.

He wasn't sure what he did, or how he did it. And he knew that he'd never be able to do it again. But somehow, he had managed to show her exactly what he saw in the hallway, exactly what he heard. Unfortunately, that meant what Reid had said about his feelings for her, but he hoped that maybe she would overlook that.

The flow had stopped, the scene had finished. Her eyes had reverted to normal, and she found herself staring into his icy blue eyes. She couldn't believe she had doubted him, for a second. She had believed Aaron, over him. What could she had been thinking.

She wanted to apologize, and she opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't say anything. She just stared into his eyes, and he stared back at her. And she knew, she knew that it was okay if she didn't say sorry.

They could hear the door creak open behind them. It was Aaron.

"Everything okay out here baby." He stepped towards her.

Suddenly, whatever Alex had been feeling turned into anger, and rage. "So, I'm just begging for it am I?" She broke from Reid, and turned towards Aaron, taking a step to him.

"What. Did he tell you I said that? Do you actually believe him?"

"You know what Aaron, I do. Do you know why? Because, he's Reid. I've known him for a hell of a lot longer than I've ever known you." She was within inches of him now.

"That's bullshit Alex. I like you." He was really trying to save his sorry ass, but she wasn't buying it.

"Yeah, like you like Kira, and Anna. Oh, wait, Anna's just for fun, right."

"Alex…"

He tried to hug her, but she pushed him away, so hard that he stumbled back a few steps. "Don't EVER come near me again, Aaron. Because if you do, you'll regret it."

He laughed. "What, are you going to have Garwin kick my ass?"

"Maybe, or maybe I'll do it myself. Understood?"

"Whatever, baby. You can try your best."

He finally got to see what it looked like when she slapped someone. And it looked like it felt. Like it hurt like hell.

"Have a nice day Aaron." She pushed past him, and back into the bar, leaving Reid outside with Aaron.

What the hell was his problem? He could probably beat the shit out of Aaron right now, but all he wanted to do was follow her, make sure she was okay. He pushed Aaron into the brick wall. "I'll deal with you later, asshole."

He could see Alex pushing through the crowd, heading towards the front door. Oh Fuck. Either she was really pissed or really upset. Either way, it wasn't good.

He made his way through the crowd, as fast as he could. "Hey, man!" He turned to see Pogue, Caleb, and Tyler off to the side, coming towards him. "What the hell happened?"

Reid didn't stop. "I'll fill you in later. I gotta go right now."

"Alex!" he called after her. He didn't expect her to stop, but she did.

"What, Reid?" He could hear the sadness in her voice. "What do you want."

"Alex..." He walked towards her. "Look at me."

She turned around to face him. Tears were streaming down her face. "Sweets, you're not upset about Aaron, are you?"

"No, I'm not upset about Aaron, but it doesn't feel good to be used. Do you know what that's like? It hurts."

He brought his hands up to her cheeks, wiping away the tears that were flowing freely. "It'll be okay Sweets, I promise you. Please… just don't cry." He hated to see it. He hated to know that she had gotten hurt, despite all that he had done to try and stop it.

"How do you know?"

"Because I'll be here. And I'm going to beat the shit out of him. I can make _him _cry, if you'd like?"

She laughed. He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She held him close, not wanting to ever let go. She believed him, that everything would be okay, that he would make her okay.

"I'm sorry, that I didn't believe you, before. I am" She buried her head into the crook of his neck, like she had done when they had danced.

"It's okay."

And for the first time in a month, he felt like it really was.

* * *

so, personally, i LOVE it, but what do you think???? Please review, if you could...

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	15. A Little Jealous Flirtation

and now, we're one step closer...

* * *

Reid had somehow managed to drag Alex into the bar. Just because Aaron was an asshole didn't mean she couldn't have any fun. In fact, it only meant that she should be having more fun. Hey, the quicker she got over him, the better for everyone.

But she didn't really need time to get over him. Aaron was an asshole, she understood that. She was just glad that she got out of the relationship before things had gotten really bad.

Besides, she wasn't even sure if she liked Aaron anymore. Okay, she did like him, but there were just feeling that had been missing, that she would have thought were there. And maybe they were there, just…not with him.

Alex had stopped rejecting the idea of having feelings for Reid. Because, in truth, she wasn't sure that it wasn't true. It was very possible, probable in fact, that she did. And if what she had seen was true, if Kira had been honest to Aaron, then, Reid had feelings for her.

And who was she to deny that that was possible if so many people saw it.

But she wasn't going to push the issue. It took to much time and effort to keep them stable the way they were now, and they hadn't even begun to discuss the whole kiss issue yet. Pushing it too far could completely ruin everything. And she wasn't completely sure.

But she was a free woman. It would hurt to flirt a little, would it?

They were back at a table in Nicki's now, Pogue, and Tyler, and Caleb surrounding them, trying to find out what was happening.

"What just happened, Reid?" Caleb asked, putting his hands on Alex's shoulders.

Reid looked into Alex's eyes, looking for permission. She smiled at him, giving a little nod. "Oh, Aaron's just a complete jerk off who happens to be cheating on Alex." He enjoyed seeing the reactions on their faces, seeing the rage and anger. He smiled. "Don't worry, I've got in handled."

"Really?" asked Tyler. "Did you kick his ass yet?"

"Not yet, but I will. Soon."

"Damn it!" Pogue hit his fist on the table. "I fucking knew that this would happen. I knew it!"

"Give it a rest Pogue. Everything's fine." Alex turned to look at him. He really needed to calm down.

"How can you say that?"

"Because I slapped him, and I told him if he ever came near me again that either I would beat the shit out of him, or Reid would." She was grinning, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Really? You told him that?" Caleb was smiling now, and so was Tyler.

"Yeah, I did. And I will. I'm done with assholes. From now on, you can screen all the guys you want. I never want another Aaron Abbott."

The vibe around the table cheered up considerably. Tyler bought drinks for the group, and, before long, everyone was joking and laughing. Reid looked at Alex. He was so happy that she wasn't upset. It was good for her, and even better for him.

"Hey, Sweets, do you want to dance?"

Alex laughed. "Maybe next week, Garwin."

Next week came faster than anyone had expected. Alex was sitting in seventh period lit, again, playing with Caleb's hair. She kept waiting for him to tell her to stop, but he never did. Caleb probably never would, even if it was annoying him. "Caleb?" she whispered. "Do you want me to stop?"

He smiled. "No, it feels good. Besides, I think that you're making Aaron jealous." She looked in his direction. And sure enough, he looked pretty jealous.

If looks could kill, then Caleb would be dead by now. But he didn't care. He wasn't afraid of Aaron. So Alex kept twisting his fingers through his locks, while her mind drifted back to Reid.

This week had been good for them. It had actually been a normal week. They didn't fight, and they didn't kiss. It was just like before Aaron came around. And it was nice. But somehow, she had a feeling that told her that things were about to get a little more complicated.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. He was lying with his head on his desk, probably asleep. She had contemplated throwing a paper ball at him, but she didn't want to waste a piece of paper on such a stupid cause.

But maybe her brother would be willing to spare a piece.

She looked over at Pogue, once again, sprawled across his desk, and on his notebook. She used her free hand to tug the notebook free, and she tore a piece out of it.

She didn't know what to write, so she just threw it at him, with no message. It hit him square in the head.

Reid shot up so fast that he nearly fell out of his seat. Tyler burst out laughing at the sight of his friend. Reid glared at him before smacking him in the back of the head. For some reason, that just made Tyler laugh more.

Alex chuckled, before going back to playing with Caleb's hair. It wasn't long before she heard the familiar whoosh and a smack. The wad landed in her lap. She opened it up to see Reid's handwriting. _Aaron's getting jealous of Caleb._

She threw it back with a note inside. _I know._

_Do you want to make him even more jealous, because I'd love to help…_

She laughed. _I bet you would._

Reid never threw it back, so Alex just continued to busy herself with Caleb. He was going to need a brush when she was done. By the time the bell had rung, it looked like he had just gotten out of bed. "So, how do I look?" There was a smile on his face.

"Great. But I would definitely fix it before you come to pick me up for Nicki's tonight. You are picking me up, right?"

"Yeah, of course. If you want me to."

"Caleb, who else would I want a ride from?" She grabbed his hand.

He looked behind her. She followed his line of sight and saw Reid, walking down the steps. She turned back to Caleb, blush on her face. "So, you guys really do have something, huh?"

"I don't know. I mean, we haven't talked about it, and really, how am I supposed to know what it's like to have feelings for someone. I thought I did, but I really don't think that I did. But I think there's something between us. I think that I can see it. Do… do you?" She bit her lip.

"Baby, I've seen it for a while now. Tyler has seen it for a while now. And Kate's

starting to catch on. It's just a shame that you and him were the last two to find out."

"That's not true. Pogue doesn't know." She frowned.

"That's because Pogue is oblivious to all things involving you dating boys, until one of us brings it up to him. And the fact that it is Reid just makes it more oblivious."

She looked down at her hands, still in Caleb's. "If something really does happen, can you imagine how that will change things?"

"How?"

"Come on Caleb. We'd be dating. You don't think that it would be weird. What…What if we broke up?"

"Alex, nothing will be weird. We're all friends. We've always been friends. And we always will be friends. You and Reid may be rocky sometimes, but your friendship is just as strong as the rest of ours is. I think that you can survive this, whatever happens."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks Caleb. I'll see you tonight?"

"Eight o'clock."

Reid was at his locker, kicking himself. Why did he say that he wanted to help her make Aaron jealous? He didn't even care about Aaron. He did want to do things with Alex that would make him jealous, but not because they would make him jealous. That was just a bonus.

He was in the middle of berating himself when he felt something on his back, sliding up his shoulders. "Hey Garwin. Long time no see."

"Hey Sweets." He continued to push his books into his locker.

"So, you still want to help me make Aaron jealous?" Her hands slid down his arms to his biceps.

_No. _But he wasn't going to tell her that. Instead, he was going to turn the tables on her, just a little.

He spun towards her, grabbing her waist. Alex squeaked when he pulled her close. "Sweets, your not still thinking about him are you?" He nuzzled her ear, breathing down her neck, making chills running down her spine.

"Uh…"

"Because I can make you forget about him." He spun her around, pushing her against the lockers. She was dizzy at the feeling of his body against hers, aware that she was now pushed on the lockers. She bit her lip as he bent his head down to the patch of skin where her neck met her shoulder. She sighed as his lips brushed across the skin. "Do you really want to make Aaron jealous, Sweets? Is that what you want, or do you want to forget about him."

"I'm over him, Reid." She was still holding on to what little composure she had left in her.

But that flew out the window the second she felt his tongue on her burning hot skin. "I know that. But you didn't answer my question."

It felt like a lifetime before she answered. Reid could feel his self control slip away. He brushed his lips to her skin, keeping them occupied so they didn't come crashing down on her lips. His senses were buzzing, in overload at the feeling of her body. If she didn't answer soon, he wouldn't be able to stay in control.

"Aaron who?" She grasped at his arms. She really didn't care about Aaron. Why did it matter if she forgot him?

He rubbed his nose the length of her jaw line before pulling back to look in her eyes. "Good Girl. Are you going to save me a dance tonight?" He expected her to melt, but she didn't.

Instead, she gathered whatever little composure she had left, turning the tables again so that she was back in control. "I don't know; are you going to be a good boy?" She managed to get away from the lockers, and spin so that he was up against them now, but he still held her tight.

"No."

It was simple, but truthful.

"Good."

And so was hers. He raised an eyebrow, asking for explanation.

"What fun would it be if you were a good boy?" She wanted Reid to be exactly how he was, no pretending, but this would be as close as she would ever come to actually saying it. "See you tonight, Garwin."

And with a smile, she was gone down the hall, leaving Reid at his locker, seriously turned on.

Tonight was going to be a hell of a night.

* * *

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	16. Fliration and Agression

did someone call for a fight????

* * *

Alex was nervous. She was actually nervous, something she couldn't ever remember being, at least not when she was going to Nicki's. She was standing in the mirror, looking at her reflection. Her hair was down, and curly. It was hot, so she opted for a black halter top, a mini, and high heels. She kept fidgeting, uncomfortable with what she was wearing.

She heard her door open. _Shit. _It was eight o'clock, and Caleb was here. "Hey, Alex, are you ready."

"I don't know." She walked put of the bathroom. "How do I look?"

Caleb's eyes were wide. "You look…great." She looked amazing actually.

"Really? God, I don't know Caleb. Are you sure?"

"Alex, you look beautiful. Reid will think that you look great."

'Should I change into jeans? How warm is it?"

Caleb walked over to her, grabbing her hands. "You look great, I promise. Don't change a thing."

She sighed. "Really?" Caleb nodded. "Okay. Sorry I'm just nervous."

He laughed. "About what? You're just going to see some friends, and if something happens, well, then that's just a bonus."

She loved Caleb, because he could always make things okay. He was always there when he needed him. And now was one of those times.

As always, Caleb sped towards town, and, with each mile, Alex became less and less nervous. There was something about being around Caleb that did that to her.

It was only a matter of seconds before they reached Nicki's or so it felt like. She looked at the cars, parked along the street. She saw Tyler's hummer, and Pogue's bike, and, sadly, Aaron's car.

"Caleb, Aaron's here." That wasn't a good thing. He'd been throwing daggers at the boys all week, and she had a feeling that there was going to be a fight.

Caleb didn't say anything, because he knew exactly what she was thinking, and he couldn't promise that there wouldn't be a fight. Right now, _he_ wanted to beat the shit out of him. "Don't worry about him. Just try and have some fun."

She wanted to, but she didn't know if that was going to be possible. Still, she was going to try. She sighed as Caleb grabbed her hand and led her into the bar, crowded as ever. She instantly spotted the group sitting at their usual table. So far, they didn't look like there had been a fight yet, so maybe that was a good sign.

She sat down next to her brother and Tyler. "Hey, there you are. Wondering when you were going to show up." Pogue kissed his sister on the cheek.

"Yeah, I couldn't figure out what to wear." She was acutely aware that Reid was staring at her.

"Well, you look great." Kate was smiling at her. It was the same smile that she had worn when she had seen her and Reid dance. Apparently, someone had filled her in on the detail of what's been going on.

"Thanks." She looked at Reid. He was wearing her familiar smirk, the one that she hadn't seen in a long time, the one that told her the old Reid was out to play now that Aaron was gone. And, for some reason, she felt a little playful, too, despite the fact that her brother was sitting next to her. "So, Garwin, are you going to guess what kind of underwear I'm wearing?"

Pogue's eyebrows shot up. "What! Did you just say…Garwin you'd better not be guessing her underwear." Reid and Alex ignored him, and so did everyone else. They were too concerned to see what his reply would be.

"Why would I guess when I could just take a peek later with a little gust of wind?" Pogue had said something in disagreement, but it was lost on everyone's ears.

"If you guess, I'll give you a dance. But… you only get three guesses. If you miss, you buy me a drink."

Reid couldn't resist a little gambling, especially with Alex, even though he knew he would be getting an earful from her brother later on tonight. "Deal."

There was silence around the table. Caleb couldn't believe that this was happening. They had gone from not knowing, to being completely stubborn, to now being completely open about whatever it was that they had.

Alex knew that she should never have started this. Pogue was going to have her ass. But there was something about Reid that just made her...not care. All the nervousness she had been feeling had melted away the instant she had seen him.

"So, let me see…" Reid leaned on his elbows. "Let's go with white cotton." She shook her head. "Okay, blue thong." She shook her head again. He only had one guess left, but he didn't care. He would get his dance either way. "Pink lace."

"Sorry, but three strikes, and you're out. Guess you owe me a drink."

"Alex-" Pogue was looking at his sister like she had just used in public"

Kate cut him off before things got ugly. It had taken them this long to do anything about their feelings, and she couldn't let him screw it up, even if it was just because he really didn't understand. "Hey, Alex, come to the bathroom with me."

She grabbed her hand a pulled her through the crowded bar and into the deserted ladies room. "So…what was that?" She was smiling at her.

Alex was smiling too. "I'm just having a little fun, seeing where things might go between us."

"So, you like him then?"

"I don't know. There's something there though, and I intend to find out what it is."

"Well let me tell you, there's a whole lot of something there. Tyler and I were talking about it earlier, you know, comparing notes, and let me tell you, it's pretty…intense."

"Really?" She sighed, resting her head on the bathroom wall, looking at her best friend. She almost told her about the kiss, at that second, but she couldn't make herself do it. "Well, we'll see about that. Just, can you do me a favor?"

"Keep Pogue entertained?" Alex nodded her head. "I think you've got all of us on your side for that one." Kate gave her one last smile before walking out the door.

Alex headed out of the bathroom a few minutes later. She walked over to the bar, hoping that maybe Reid would follow her.

She couldn't believe that, in this second, things were happening that would change everything. Just earlier today, she wasn't sure if she had wanted things to change, but now, she was waiting for them to happen faster.

She had told Kate that she wasn't sure if she like Reid, but in truth, she had never been more sure about anything in her entire life. She did like him. It was the only way she had been about to explain the things that had been happening to them lately. It was the only way she could explain the way he made her feel.

She was tired of denying it. Why should she deny something that felt so…right?

It wasn't long before she felt his hand on her waist. She closed her eyes as he wrapped them around her, pulling him close to her. Something felt wrong, but she ignored it. "You know, my brother's already kind of pissed off about what just happened, so maybe you shouldn't be groping me in the middle of the bar, where he can see us."

"Oh, don't worry, honey, I think that you brother will survive." Her eyes shot open. That was not Reid's voice, and Reid never called her honey.

And then she realized what felt wrong about it. It _wasn't _Reid. And then, she recognized that voice.

It was Aaron.

She spun around to face him, pushing him as hard as she could. He stumbled back a step. "Get the hell off of me you asshole."

"Oh, come on baby, you were all into it a second ago." He stepped towards her again, pinning her between the bar and himself. "What, did you think that I was Garwin?"

"Get away from me." She was glaring at him. She wasn't going to back down, because she wasn't afraid. Still, she couldn't help but wonder where Nicki was when she could have used some help. She didn't like being pinned between Aaron and anything else.

"Baby, I just want to talk." He reached up to touch her cheek, but she pulled away from him.

"Don't call me that, or any other name that you want to call me. You have no right."

His hand closed back on the other side of her. "Fine, Alex, whatever. I just want to talk to you, okay."

"Yeah, I don't think so jackass. I have nothing to say to you." She tried to get free, but Aaron used his body to hold her still.

"Well, I do."

"And I don't care." She shoved him again, and he let go of the bar. She pushed past him, and he tried to walk toward the table where her brother sat, but he grabbed her wrist. "Let go of me Aaron or I swear to god I will beat the shit out of you."

"Please, just talk to me. I want to explain myself."

"She told you to get the fuck away from her, asshole." Alex looked behind her to see Reid lounging against the bar. Caleb, Tyler, and Pogue were still at the table, but they were standing mow, looking her direction. _This is not good._

Aaron was a stubborn idiot. He held on to her wrist. "Fuck off Garwin. This is none of your business."

"I told you to stay away from her, and you didn't listen. I warned you." He took a step closer, anger in his eyes. Alex could tell that it was taking all of his control to keep his eyes from flashing.

Aaron ignored Reid, a serious mistake. But that wasn't his only one. He looked at Alex, a smile on his face. "Just give me a couple of minutes baby. You won't regret it." He moved his hand to her face, trying to brush her hair behind her ear, but was block by Reid.

Somehow he had managed to step in between them so fast that neither of them realized it. Aaron dropped her wrist, and she stumbled backwards a step, massaging it. It hurt like hell. "You've had your last chance Abbott," Reid muttered through clenched teeth. He was seething. Alex could feel his aura, and it was giving her a headache.

"And what are you going to do about it. Fight me?" Aaron was laughing.

"Go away Alex." Reid didn't even turn around to look at her, but she knew that he meant it. She turned around without hesitation. He didn't need a reason to be more pissed off.

She walked over to her brother and her two friends. Kate was sitting at the table, eyes wide. "We…have a problem."

All eyes were on the two, no one knowing what to do. Alex really didn't want there to be a fight. Her stomach fell when she saw Aaron's friends break from the crowd behind their fearless leader. The odds weren't fair anymore, even with the power, and Reid wasn't backing down.

Pogue began to push his way through the crowd. Tyler was close behind. Caleb turned to Alex before he left. "It'll be okay." She wanted to believe him, but she had a hard time doing so.

Kate gave her a concerned look. They both knew what was going to happen.

Alex turned in time to see Reid shove Abbott back into his friends. Abbott shoved back, and Reid hit the bar. Reid lunged at Abbott, but Pogue got there in time to hold him back. She was going to give her brother a big hug when they came back.

They boys were yelling at each other now, all eight of them. Where the hell was Nicki?

Things were escalating fast now. Aaron pushed passed the group, towards the door to the back lot. Reid and the boys followed.

"Kate, I'll be back." She pushed through the crowd, past the bar. And of course, now that everything was already underway, the bartender appeared from nowhere. "Nicki, where are you when I need you?"

"Where's the fire, baby?" He leaned over the bar, towards her.

"Fire? No, it's an apocalypse."

Things had definitely blown up. The boys were in full swing now.

"That's bullshit, man! You can't keep me away from her!"

"Yeah? Watch me." He took a step forward, towards Aaron, but Pogue grabbed his arm.

Alex bounded down the steps, stopping between Tyler and Caleb. They didn't even notice that she was there. They were watching Aaron's friends, ready the second they made a step.

She turned her attention back to Reid, who was struggling against Pogue like crazy now. He wanted blood. "Calm down, man!" She knew that that meant he was loosing control of himself.

Reid stopped struggling so much. He was trying to gain control of himself. The last thing he needed was access to his powers. Pogue let go, stupid move.

Aaron took the advantage of Reid's inattention. He lunged at him, pushing him back into Pogue. That was the match that lit the fire.

Alex wasn't sure exactly what had happened. Within the blink of an eye, she was standing alone. Caleb, Tyler, and Pogue had Aaron's friends pushed back, near the stacks of beer bottles, having their own little fight. And Aaron and Reid were left alone.

"You actually like that little bitch, huh? Or are you just using her for the same thing that you use all your other girls for, Garwin. I can't say that I'd blame you though. She would be one good fuck."

That was the breaking point for Reid. He lunged at Aaron, pushing him against the brick wall, hard enough that he lost his breath. "Don't EVER fucking talk about her like that again, asshole."

Aaron swung at Reid, nearly hitting him in the lip, but Reid grabbed his arm, using it to spin Aaron around. He slammed him into the wall again. Aaron broke away, and shoved Reid. He stumbled and Aaron came after him again. He tried to swing, and missed. Reid grabbed Aaron, kneeing him right in the balls. And like magic, everyone froze.

Aaron fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Reid bent down to his ear. "Listen to me, and listen to me good asshole, because I will NOT repeat myself again. Don't fucking look at her, don't talk to her, don't even think about her. And the next time you come near her, I won't be accountable for what I do to your sorry, stupid ass. But I can guarantee that next time, you won't be so lucky. Understood?" Aaron mumbled something inaudible. Reid squeezed his shoulder. "What was that asshole?"

"Understood." He choked out.

"Good." He shoved Abbott sending him to the ground.

Suddenly, the door creaked open. Everyone turned around to see Nicki, bat in hand, Kate behind him. She jumped down the steps, and into Pogue's arms.

"What the hell is going on out here?"

"Nothing Nicki, Abbott just had a little accident."

"Got to be more careful Abbott. Why don't you come on in and we'll get you some ice for your…problem." Aaron's friends picked him up, off the ground, where he was still crying, and led him inside.

Before Nicki followed, he winked at Reid. Alex shook her head, a smile on her face. He knew exactly what was going on. He had known the whole time, but he also knew that Aaron deserved to get his ass kicked.

Alex walked over to Reid, throwing her arms around his neck. He pulled her close, smelling her hair.

She pulled back, looking into his eyes. "Thank you."

"No problem, Sweets." He gave her a smile, a true smile.

"So, should we get outta here, or what?" asked Pogue, his arm around Kate.

"And go where?" Tyler was running through his hair.

Caleb laughed. "Marblehead."

That had been their favorite place to go when they were younger, but they hadn't been in a long time.

But tonight, it just felt right.

* * *

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	17. The Moment of Realization

so here it is, finally!!!!

and I'm sooooo sorry that it took me so long to update. I've been having some problems lately and I haven't been able to get on! And, I've had a pretty hard time with this chapter... I don't know, I just couldn't get it to come to me. But finally...

And i just want to give credit to the lovely Mighty Kajtek, who helped me edit this!!!! Thank you so much babe. This chapter wouldn't have been the same if it weren't for you!!!! I love you mucho!!! And I promise that i'll pay you back one day.

and now, onto the chapter...

* * *

The ride to Marblehead was uncomfortable, to say the least. The boys were adamant on shoving all six of them into Tyler's hummer. Alex was in the backseat with Caleb, Kate, and Pogue. There wasn't a lot of room, so she basically ended up sitting on Caleb's lap, in the one of the shortest skirts she had ever owned.

Reid had insisted on driving, as he always did in the hummer, and because of the lack of room, they couldn't wear any seatbelts. The four of them spent most of their time sliding around their backseat. Caleb had tried to hold on to her, but despite the efforts, she still ended up on the floorboards.

Alex couldn't help but laugh. Sure, hitting your ass on the hard floor hurt, but it was also deliciously hilarious. She remembered the last time that they all shoved themselves in Tyler's hummer and went riding around Marblehead. Tyler had just gotten his Hummer, and they came here to celebrate. She ended up falling in the river that night, and getting soaked to the bone. Reid had been laughing at her, until Tyler pushed him in. Before the night was over, they were all in the river.

Reid parked the car near the tree line, but with a close walking distance of the cliffs. They had popped the trunk of Tyler's car. Alex, Reid, and Caleb were sitting in the back. Pogue, Kate, and Tyler were sitting on a blanket that had been in Tyler's car.

"God, it's been so long since we've been out here," Tyler said, looking out over the cliffs. "Why don't we come here anymore?"

"Because the last time we were out here, things didn't go to well." Caleb looked at Alex, and she blushed. The last time they came out here, Reid and her had gotten into a huge fight. They had stopped talking after that. A month passed before they talked again. It was the longest fight that they had ever had. And now, Alex couldn't even remember what it was about.

"But we can change that." Tyler was always the philosophical one, but he was always right. "So, do you think that Aaron will be pissed the next time we see him?"

"Fuck Aaron." Reid wasn't angry anymore, but he was done with Aaron, at least for now.

"Your birthday is coming up soon, Baby Boy. Have any plans?" Pogue asked. They had been planning to throw a party for him.

"No, not really. But I was thinking…"

The conversation continued. It started with Tyler's birthday, but it didn't stay there for long. They were talking about everything.

For being near the end of spring, it was surprisingly cold outside. Alex was shivering. She hadn't brought a coat. Reid looked over at her, feeling her shiver. "Hey, are you cold?" he whispered to her.

She nodded, a smile on her face. "A little." She didn't expect him to do anything, but Reid took off his coat, holding it open for her to slide her arms in. She smiled, blush on her cheeks for god knows what, and she slid her arms into the jacket.

His hand slid down her arm, and she completely lost touch with the world as his hand brushed hers lightly.

"ALEX!" Her brother snapped her out of the trance that she was in.

"Huh?"

"The dance. Are you going?"

She pulled her hand away from Reid's. "Oh…no."

"Why?" Kate sat up, looking at her. How was she not going to go with Reid?

"Because I was _supposed _to go with Aaron, and I don't really feel like going after all that's happened. But really, who cares, it's just a stupid dance anyway. There will plenty more later. But…I guess you're all going aren't you?"

Everyone nodded their heads, except Reid. Alex looked at him. "I hate dances Sweets. Why the hell would I go?"

"Oh, please Reid. I thought you liked to dance?" She was smirking at him, their little secret, that wasn't really a secret anymore.

"Sweets, I love to dance, but I don't like the actual dances. In the middle of a crowded floor at Nicki's is perfectly fine with me." He smirked back.

They didn't have any idea how long they sat there, looking into each other's eyes, but it was long enough to make Pogue uncomfortable. "What the hell is going on with you two?" He was completely and utterly clueless.

Alex looked down into her lap, and Reid glared at Pogue. An uncomfortable silence enclosed the group, until Kate had enough sense to break it.

"Hey Baby, let's go look over the cliffs. Tyler, Caleb, you up for it?" Kate dragged her boyfriend from the blanket.

"Oh…yeah." Caleb slid out of the car, to the blanket, where Tyler was still sitting, stating at his friends. "Coming Baby Boy?"

"Why would I want-" He was stopped by a soft smack in the head from Caleb. It took a second for him to understand. "Oh…I mean, yeah, sounds fun."

"What about you sis?" Pogue asked Alex.

"Oh, no, not in these heels. With my luck, I'd fall over the cliff."

"Reid?"

He turned towards Pogue. "No, I'll stay, keep Alex company." He smiled at her.

"Alright. Well, if you wanna come, we'll be there."

"Yeah, maybe we'll catch up with you later." Alex doubted that she would go, but she knew that Pogue wanted to hear that she might. She was surprised that he didn't drag her along after what he had just asked, but maybe he didn't think that there was anything to worry about. Was he that clueless, or was there nothing going on?

Caleb flashed her a smile as he walked away, the last one in the group.

They were alone, in the back of Tyler's car…

"So, did I tell you thank you, for the whole Aaron thing."

Reid chuckled. "Yeah. But really, don't worry about it. He deserved it, for a long time now."

"I know, but, still, it was a nice thing to do." She smiled at him.

"What, you didn't think that I could be nice?"

"No, I know you can be nice, but you don't do it very often, what with your bad boy image and all."

"Please, it's not an image."

She laughed. "Okay."

A surprisingly comfortable silence settled itself upon them. Alex took in a deep relaxing breath sucking in the unique smell of the ocean mixed with that of the forest, and a small smile appeared on her pretty face. Sitting alone in the car with Reid, after all that has happened, should have been more uncomfortable. Yet, it wasn't. It felt… right.

She glanced up at the clear midnight blue sky and thought back to that evening at the party where Reid had kissed her. A momentary heat colored her cheeks and a shiver ran down her spine flooding her body with a newfound feeling. She brought her hands up to her arms and rubbed at the traitorous goose bumps.)

Reid could feel Alex shake beside him. "Are you still cold?"

She blushed, biting her lower lip. "Yeah. I think it's the whole mini skirt and plastic car seat thing, though. I guess I should have worn jeans." She lamely tried and hoped that he would buy into her pathetic little lie.

Reid didn't even hesitate. He wrapped an arm around her waist, sliding her across the car to him. Alex squeaked as he pulled her onto his lap.

She burst into laughter, squirming a little getting herself comfortable and wrapping her arms around his neck. "What?" asked Reid, truly confused.

"It's not just an image, huh?" She fixed him with a pointed look.

"Oh, well, I can just put you down, if you want." He moved to pull her off of his lap. Her arms tightened around his neck immediately and held on for dear life.

"No! No, I'm sorry. It's really nice of you…and warmer." She sent him her most sincere sweetest smile and batted her eyelashes for a good measure. Reid loved her smile, this smile, one that she was wearing now. He had never seen it before, but he knew that it was true. And it mesmerized him.

Alex sunk against him, putting her head on his broad chest. Her eyes fluttered shut and she relaxed listening to his heartbeat and absorbing his warmth. Reid instinctively wrapped his arms around her, burying his head in her hair. He was really beginning to like the smell of cherries.

"Alex, do you remember when I said that all girls were just fucks?"

She nodded into his chest. "Yeah." She mumbled, playing absentmindedly with the zipper of his hoodie.

She felt him suck in a deep breath. "Well, I might have been wrong about that." He couldn't believe that he was going there.

"How so?" Alex perked up at his unusual confession.

"You. You'll never be a just a fuck, and if anyone tries to make you one, I'll fucking kill them." He explained bluntly, hand sneaking to her face and pulling a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

Alex felt the heat rush to her face and she fought the urge to nuzzle into his palm that was caressing her cheek delicately. _And are you going to protect me from yourself? _"Wow, are you changing Garwin? Are you actually starting to care?" She said it in a jokingly manner, but it was a serious question. His hand slipped from her face and Alex bit back a groan of disappointment.

He sighed. "I think this girl that I'm falling for is making me want to."

Her heart fluttered and her breath hitched. She decided that now was the prefect time to approach the subject that has been on her mind ever since they left Nicky's. "I have something to confess." She started, and Reid looked up at her. "When you showed me Aaron, I got to see something else." She was stumbling over her words, trying to approach the subject without freaking Reid out. She chanced a look at him and found herself lost in his eyes for a brief moment. He was giving her his whole attention, a serious and slightly bewaring expression on his handsome face. She swallowed a lump that suddenly formed in her throat and decided to just get it over with. What was the worst that could happen? Reid would deny and laugh at her. No. He would not do that. Would he? Shaking her head of her doubtful thoughts she looked him square in the eyes. "I saw your feelings, Reid. All of it. I know it was something you didn't want me to see, but I did and I just wanted to know…." His fingers pressed on her mouth cutting her off mid-sentence.

He knew what she was talking about. He smiled at her. "I meant it. Every part of it."

Alex blushed and smiled back.

Now that the proverbial cat was out of the bag Reid found himself breathing in relief. Alex knew and she didn't slap him or beat the shit out of him. Things would be so much easier from now on.

A wicked smirk appeared on his face and he slapped her ass jolting her out of her daydream state. "Get up."

"What?" She asked confused, staring dumbly as he started to slide out of the car.

"Don't I owe you a dance or something?" His feet hit the ground, and he put her down on the ground, arm still wrapped around her.

She smiled. "No, you owe me a drink."

"Same thing. Come on." He took her hand and pulled her away from the car a few feet.

"Reid, there's no music!"

"Doesn't matter. We don't need any."

He stopped and turned towards her. He put her hands on her waist, bringing her close. Alex knew there was no fighting it now. Her hands slid beneath his arms to his back. She looked into his eyes. It didn't matter if there was any music, or if they were in the dirt. She didn't care. She laid her head on her favorite spot, the crook of his neck. She couldn't believe that she didn't realize how right this felt before now. It took all this shit for anything to happen.

She took a breath, loosing herself in the moment. She listened to his breathing, and felt the heat from his body on hers. She felt the gentle touch of his hands, as they slid to her lower back, sending chills down her spine.

Reid bent his head down to the place where her neck met her shoulder, brushing his lips on the soft, delicate skin. They stopped moving, both rooted to their spot.

His finger grazed underneath the hem of her top. It wasn't just her neck that was soft. She took a breath, her skin truly on fire. She wasn't cold anymore.

She pulled her head away, and he slid his nose down her jaw line until they were face to face. He wanted to kiss her, to feel that feeling that he so desperately needed, but he wasn't going to be the one who made the choice tonight.

There eyes were locked, and she could feel his breath on her lips. Her heart was beating faster than she ever remembered it doing before, and she had a pretty good feeling that it was because his lips were only inches from hers. She had never wanted to kiss him so bad.

In that moment, they knew that things between them were different. And they had forgotten everything, in this single moment. They had forgotten that they had ever fought, or that they were at Marblehead with their friends. They had forgotten that things weren't going to be easy. And then, they heard faraway voices break through their world. It was Pogue's, and in a single instant, it hit them that they had to deal with him if anything was going to happen. It wasn't like it was with Aaron, where she could just push her brother off. Reid was his friend, and they couldn't fuck that up. They _had_ to stay friends.

Alex rested her forehead against Reid's. She sighed. "Reid…"

"I know." He couldn't say anything else. "Come on. We should go meet them, before Kate and Caleb get it in their heads that something happened."

"Yeah, okay." He took her hand, and led her to the cliffs.

"Decided to meet us did you?" Pogue spotted them first.

"Yeah, it was getting pretty boring in the car."

Caleb and Kate were looking at her, smiles on their faces. She smiled back weakly, and. It was obvious there was a problem. Caleb frowned, and Alex glanced at her brother. Suddenly, they understood.

No one had taken into consideration that Pogue would be a problem.

And it was one hell of a problem.

* * *

did you like... Please read and review. I want EVERYTHING!!! Questions, comments, ideas, praise... anything!!!!

and once again, to my lovely reviewers, i LOVE LOVE LOVE you all! You really do brighten my day!!!


	18. So Wrong, Yet So Right

Hey there.

So i just have to say this now...

I am SOOOOOOOO sorry that it had taken me so long to update. But I've been really sick, like... really sick, and I've had a lot of family problems, and then there's the whole college/scholarship applications on top of that and my mom took away my internet rights...

but really, I'm SOOOOOOO sorry, and i can't grovel enough! Please forgive me, I won't go that long again with updating! Promise. Come hell or high water...

p.s: did i say I'm sorry?

* * *

Alex slid onto her soft, comforting bed. She huffed, slightly annoyed at how the night had turned out. Sure the beginning was great, but the end, well, it just royally sucked.

She wanted so badly to kiss Reid, to start something. And of course, the second that she had her chance, her brother had to crash in. Sure he didn't mean to, but he did. Like always.

And so their moment was ruined. They went back to being "friends", all feelings pushed back. It was harder than she thought that it would have been. And if anything made it worse, it was the way that everyone had been looking at her. If they didn't know, then maybe it could have been easier.

And they didn't even get a chance to say goodbye, or work anything out. They had tried to, in front of Nicki's, but it was impossible. Anytime that they were about to say something, anytime they were going to get anything resolved, Pogue seemed to pop out of nowhere and ruin it. She was close to telling him to fuck off for five minutes before Reid stopped her. Telling her brother to fuck off would have been bad, and she needed to be on good of terms with him as possible.

So she got in Caleb's car, completely pissed, and tense, and, well… basically pissed. She thanked god that Caleb was sensible enough to keep her out of the conversation. She wasn't sure if she could have controlled herself.

She tried to stretch out, hoping to relieve, some of the unresolved tension, but it was no use. There was only one thing that could have possibly helped her now.

Alex sighed, laying her hands in her head. What the fuck was she going to do? She liked Reid, she really did. There was no denying that anymore. And she wanted to be with him. But it wasn't even a day into the relationship, and they had hit a brick wall.

But she wasn't going to give up. No, no way. Her brother would get over it… once they told him.

Alex nearly fell off the bed when her cell phone rang, scaring the life out of her. Who would call her now? She picked up the phone, reading the name on the caller id. She smiled, it was Reid. "Hello handsome."

"Hello gorgeous. How are you?" She could tell he was smiling, too, by the sound of his voice.

"Tense."

"Yeah, me too. So, I, um… I called to see what you were doing tomorrow, around lunch time."

Alex bit her lip. "Well, so far, I'm free."

"Good." Reid cleared his throat. "So, then, I was wondering, um… maybe do you wanna hang out tomorrow, maybe eat, or shop, or something…?"

"One problem. Who's going to baby sit my brother? He's supposed to be going into town tomorrow too."

"Actually, Tyler has already offered to help with that, if you want."

"Oh, okay. Then… yeah, I'd love too." She smiled impossibly wider.

"Ok." Reid's nervousness was starting to show through. He cleared his throat again.

"Reid?" Alex asked.

"Yeah?"

"Reid Garwin, are you nervous."

"Not so much nervous as… unsure." He answered trufully.

"The sex god nervous of a date? Impossible. How many girls have you been with."

He laughed. "Been with is the key word there. I've never been on a date with a girl, let alone my best friend's sister. It's just fucked up. I'm fucked up."

"Okay, so let's not call it a date. I mean, we've seemed to do fine without ever calling anything a date, so why start now? We're just… hanging out, like always. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

A silence settled over the phone. Alex sighed. For a minute, she had stopped thinking about her brother, and how he would complicate things. But now, her mind drifted back to Pogue, and how pissed he was going to be.

Reid knew Alex. He could tell when something was wrong, and there was something wrong now. He felt like he knew what it was. "Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"It'll be okay, you know that, don't you?"

She smiled at how well Reid knew her, how much more that proved that things would work out. "Yeah, I know."

"We've come too far to let him stop us. I'm not backing out of this, not because of him. Okay?"

"Yeah, me neither." In a matter of seconds, he had managed to relieve all of her fears.

"I promise." Reid was taken aback by his own words, his own actions. Never, in his whole life, had he ever let his image slip as much as he had in the past couple of weeks. But then again, never, in his whole life, had he openly felt this way, about anyone.

"Hey, Reid?" Her voice broke him out of his own thoughts.

"Yeah, Sweets?"

"We do have to tell him. You know that right. Eventually."

"Yeah, Sweets, I know." He sighed. "I know. I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Goodnight Reid."

"Night Alex."

Alex couldn't help but smile, even after he had hung up. So she had to tell her brother. So what? Who cares? They would deal with that when they had to. But for now, they were just going to have some fun, make sure that it worked before they made a big deal out of it. Besides, why would they tell him if they weren't even sure themselves?

She slid back against her bed, but she wasn't pissed, and she wasn't tense. And she wasn't tired anymore either. She was buzzing with excitement. A date with Reid… no, not a date, just… hanging out. Alone.

She bit her lip. The last time she had been alone with Reid, they were just friends. Now, they were on the verge of something else, something that could change everything. She hoped that it wouldn't become one of those awkward situations, where they'd suddenly run out of things to say to each other, or that it would be one of those times when they couldn't stand each other.

But then again, maybe their fighting was just _because _of the tension that they were feeling. Makes sense… I mean, they've been at each others' throat more in the past few months than they have in years. And it got worse when she started dating Aaron.

God, she couldn't believe that she had made that mistake, to date him. Why in God's name did she do that? She had been thinking about that a lot lately, and she had come to the conclusion that she didn't even really like him. Sure, she thought she did, but how could she like someone that didn't really make her feel anything that she was supposed to do. Even when she found out that he was cheating on her, she wasn't sad, just pissed because she had been played.

She just liked the idea of him, of having a boyfriend.

But now, she liked the idea of Reid more. She liked it because it was real.

"So, are we on tomorrow?" Reid looked at his best friend, a smile on his face. "Is that a yes."

"Yeah Baby Boy, we're on for tomorrow."

"Ha! I knew it! I knew you liked her!"

"Yeah, we well established this before." Reid sighed, leaning back on his bed. Tyler was revved up, but he didn't really want to talk about it. He just wanted to think.

"So… How do you feel?" Tyler sat on the foot of his bed. It took everything in Reid not to laugh. He was like an eager little puppy. It was one of the funniest things he had ever seen.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, do you feel any different?"

"I don't know how long I've felt this way, so how am I supposed to know if I feel any different now."

"Does it feel different than the other girls."

Reid sighed. Did it feel different? Was there something about Alex that no other girl had. Yeah. She actually made him feel, and he didn't mean just physically. She made his heart break with one sad look, and in the same second could repair it with her beauty. But he wasn't going to admit that. Not yet. "I don't know."

Tyler frowned. "But-"

"Go to bed, Baby Boy." He interrupted. "I'm going to need you at the top of your game tomorrow. I can't afford any mistakes."

"Reid-"

"Bed."

Reid closed his eyes, ending the conversation totally. He could hear Tyler sigh before he felt the weight at the end of the bed shift as his friend got up. He could hear drawers being opened, and closed, the movements of his friend as he changed.

"Goodnight, Reid."

"Night, Tyler."

In seconds, he could hear the familiar snores of his friend, his even breathing. He almost envied him. Reid would give anything to sleep right now, but he was too wound up about tomorrow, about his date with Alex.

She could call it whatever she wanted, but to him, it was a date. That was it was meant to be, and that's what it really was. Though, for other purposes, not calling it that was probably best. If they got to comfortable using that word, it wouldn't be long before one of them, probably him, said it in front of Pogue, which was not how they wanted him to find out.

But they would have to tell him sometime, though that little fact didn't hit them until today. As much as Reid wanted to deny it, he knew that it could be a major roadblock in their relationship. _Could_ be. But he wasn't really worried about it. Sure, Pogue might not be happy, at first, but he loved his sister, and he just wanted to be happy. And he trusted Reid more than most other people. Hopefully, he would come around to it. But god knows how long it will take him.

The hardest part was going to be to tell him. How do you tell your best friend that you're dating his sister? His sister that you vowed to protect, that you vowed to beat up any guy who tried to date her? Suddenly, you go from being fellow protector to enemy. And Reid wasn't sure that he really wanted that.

But Alex was worth it. So Pogue would be mad at him for a couple of days, months, or even years, but that was just a minor price to pay for what he would gain.

"God I must be crazy," Reid muttered to himself as he took off his shirt, settling in for bed.

He had always joked that Pogue was the stupid one for getting tied down, for putting himself in a relationship. He always thought that he was the smart one, having fun without the responsibility. But now, he was like becoming more and more like Pogue in the sense that he didn't mind if he was tied down, if he had a girlfriend, if he had responsibilities. He was starting to want that kind of thing.

"I guess that's just what happens when you find the right one."

* * *

did you like? I know it's a little sappy, but, come on, you knew at least one chapter of sappiness was coming, and it'll be back to normal soon...

please review. I want ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. and I love you guys! You are so awesome!!!!


	19. The First Date

hey, so here it is, and it's long...

* * *

"So, what exactly are we doing again?" Pogue looked at his watch. It was 12:30. Tyler had called him four hours ago and asked him if he wanted to hang out today, and he had complied. But four the past four hours, they had done absolutely nothing.

"Um, we're going to the bookstore…"

"And why are we going to the bookstore?"

"Well, um, we're going… we're going because I need a book… for school." Pogue frowned. Tyler was so jumpy today. What was going on?

"Tyler… are you okay?"

Oh, yeah, I'm… I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"You seem a little weird, that's all."

"Huh? Oh, well, I didn't sleep much last night, I'm a little tired, that's all." Tyler smiled at his friend, lamely trying to cover up what was really going on.

"Then why don't we stop at the diner and get some coffee before-"

"NO!" He yelled, without even realizing it. He looked over at Pogue, who had his eyebrows raised in surprise. No, I, uh… I mean, well… I'll be okay…"

"O…kay…" Something was definitely going on.

Alex was sitting at a small table in her favorite diner, waiting for Reid to come back from the counter. She sighed, happy for the second alone. It's not that things were going bad or anything. In fact, things were going good, but then again, he had just picked her up half an hour ago. It's just that he stomach was doing flips already.

She glanced over at the counter. She was anxious to see what he had gotten her. Reid had insisted on ordering for her, saying that he knew her favorite. She didn't argue. In truth, she was kind of interested to see if he actually knew. If he didn't, then it didn't mean anything. She was sure that Caleb didn't even know, though they came here all the time. And if he did…well then that's a different story.

She was so consumed in her thoughts that she didn't even realize that Reid had already paid and walked over to the table until he had said something. "Okay, mocha frappachino with a shot of raspberry for you, and a black and white for me."

She looked up at him. He gave her his legendary smirk before handing over her cup. "Thanks." She took a sip, letting the warm liquid slide down her throat, hoping somehow that the caffeine could calm her down, though she doubted it.

When she looked back at Reid, he was staring at her, eyebrows raised, still smirking. "What?"

"Did I get it right?" He leaned forward on his elbow. She leaned in, too, though she didn't realize it. It was like he had this gravitational pull that she couldn't resist.

"Yeah, you did."

"I knew I should have bet you…"

"Oh, really, and what you have bet?"

"I don't know, a dance, a drink, a kiss…"

"Yeah, I guess you should have." He leaned in again, and just like before, she did too. Their lips nearly touched before she pulled back. "But you didn't. That's too bad." She threw him own of her own smirks, a mischievous look in her eye.

Reid laughed. God, she was just as bad as he was. And he couldn't help but think that she looked way too cute with that look on her face, in her eyes. "Yeah, that's too bad."

He was staring at her in the way that took her breath away, that made her a little dizzy, the way that would make her spill her guts out. Alex bit her lip, giving him a little half smile. Yeah, she was cute when she did that too.

She was going to lose it if he kept looking at her like that, so she said anything to break his concentration. "So, I didn't think that you were a coffee drinker."

He laughed again. "Yeah, well, I can't remember the last time I was up early enough to drink coffee, other than on school days."

"Aw, did you get up early just for me?" She was mocking him, but he didn't mind that either. "That's so sweet…I guess you're not as much of a bad boy as you think you are…"

"Oh really, what is that supposed to mean?" he asked her playfully.

"Well, I mean, just last night you said that you being a bad boy wasn't just an image, but you see, you keep doing these things that make me think that it is."

"It's not an image Sweets. You'll see, I promise you that. What, you've known me for, like, my whole life. You know I have my moments, and I have my _moments._" He was playing with her, but there was something serious to it, too, and that sent chills down her spine, in a good way… "What about you?"

"What do you mean what about me?"

"Well, everyone seems to think that you're perfect and all, your parents, your teachers, that you're some little angel. But you have a little edge to you to, don't you. We've all seen it. You're just a little more dangerous than everyone wants to think. Am I right, or are you as perfect as those who don't _really _know you think."

"Oh, I'm not even going to pretend that I'm perfect. Like you said, those who really know me already know that I have an edge."

Reid raised his eyebrows. Never had he ever known a girl like her. Okay, well he did, he just didn't realize that.

Alex laughed. "What?" He asked her, cocking his head to the side.

"Oh, nothing, it's just that I realized that we're exactly the opposite. I have a bad streak in me that most don't see. And you have a good streak in you that most don't see."

"Most?"

"Okay, fine, no one."She rolled her eyes. He was stubborn, but she didn't mind.

He leaned forward again. "No one…but you." Alex bit her lip, for god knows how many times that day. Apparently he noticed that, too, because he smiled. "Come on." He stood up, grabbing her hand, pulling her from her seat.

"Where are we going? She followed him out of the café and unto the sidewalk, lined with shops, and crowded with people.

"I promised you lunch didn't I?"

"Yeah, but I thought we were eating there."

"Actually, I've got something just a little bit better planned."

She stopped in her tracks. "Like what?"

He squeezed her hand. "It's a surprise." She frowned at him. "Just trust me."

Alex smiled. That was one thing she knew that she could do.

"Okay, so you have your book. What now?" Pogue asked Tyler as they left the bookstore.

"Um, well…I…I have to get some chips and stuff for our room at school."

"Yeah, actually I need to get a few things, too."

"Okay, good." Tyler headed down the sidewalk towards the little grocery store in the center of town. "So, how are you and Kate lately?"

"Good, really good, but it seems as if she's hiding something from me. It's kind of got me worried."

Tyler laughed. "Don't worry; I'm sure it has nothing to do with her at all." In fact, he knew it had nothing to do with her at all. They were all hiding things from him, the same things that he was hiding from him now.

"Really, you think?"

"Yeah, I mean has she ever given you any reason not to trust her?"

"No, she hasn't. I guess you're right, I mean-"

"Shit." Tyler stopped dead in his tracks. Right ahead of him, close to the grocery store, was Reid and Alex. She was leaning against the handrail that ran next to the river. Reid was dangerously close, his hands on her waist, whispering in her ear. This was the kind of thing that Pogue was not supposed to see, the kind of thing that Tyler was supposed to prevent. Instead of doing that, he was leading Pogue right to it."

"What?" Pogue looked in the direction that Tyler was staring. That couldn't be…

"Oh, nothing, I um… just forgot something at the bookstore. We have to go back… now." He pushed on his friends shoulder trying to get him to turn around, but he was rooted to the spot.

"Wait a minute. Is that… Is that Reid with my sister?" Since when was that happening?

"No, no it's not." This was not happening, this could not be happening.

"Yeah, I really think it is…"

"Where?"

"Right there!" Pogue pointed towards Reid, who was just getting a little too close to Alex for his liking.

"I don't see anything man. Are you feeling okay?"

"What…" Pogue looked at his friend. He could not be serious. "What are you talking about? They're right there. They're right…" He looked back over to where he had seen them, but now, the spot was empty.

"I told you, man. There was no one there."

"I could have sworn…Maybe I'm just seeing things…"

"Yeah, I guess so… You got a little mad there. You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's just… well, I like Reid and all, I mean he's my brother, but that's one of the last people I'd want Alex with."

"Really."

"Yeah, you know how he is. He goes through girls like I go through bike parts. I just don't want that kind of thing for Alex. You know?"

"Yeah, yeah man, I get it." _Shit. This isn't going to be good. _

It turns out that Reid really did have something better planned. He had packed a picnic lunch. Reid Garwin had packed a picnic lunch. That was something she thought that she would never see. But here she was, sitting in his car, a basket in the backseat, speeding away from town.

"So, where are we going?" She looked over at him. God, he was cute when he drove.

"I told you, it's a surprise." She smiled at her, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

"Well, how long until we reach this surprise of yours?"

"Not long. Maybe another five minutes or so. Why? Are you getting a little antsy?"

"No, just excited."

They drove the next few minutes in silence. Alex was looking out the window. She had lived in Ipswich all of her life, and she had been practically everywhere, but she didn't remember this road. She looked at Reid, trying to see if he looked a little lost. But he looked completely at ease, like he had been down this road a million times.

Just like he said, in the next five minutes, they had pulled off the side of the road, onto a trail cutting through the forest. Reid stopped his car about a hundred feet in before turning to her. "We're here."

"Where…are we?" She was still looking out of the window. None of this was familiar to her.

"You'll see. Come on…" They got out of the car, Reid grabbing the basket with one hand, and hers with the other. He pulled her a little farther up the trail before veering off into the woods.

"When I turned thirteen, when I got the power, it was hard to control it. I would just use, I couldn't control it. Anything would set it off. Being at home was when it was worst. And it was driving me absolutely crazy. So one day, I just left. I set off through the woods, just trying to find any place to keep me calm, anything where I could just stop."

Reid pulled her through a row of trees, into a clearing. There were trees surrounding it except on one side. Across from them was a rock wall, with a waterfall flowing down into a pond. Alex sucked in a breath. This place was amazing.

"I found this place. Something about this just…calmed me. I don't know, but, it was like, when I was here, I could control it. So, anytime things got just a little hard, I came here. It wasn't long before what I did here to control it came with me out there. This place probably saved me. I still come here sometimes. When you can't find me, I'm here."

She dropped his hand, taking another step into the clearing. "This place is beautiful, Reid. God, it's so amazing…"

"No one else has ever seen it, except you."

She turned towards him, a smile on her face. "And why did you decide to share this now?"

He took a step towards her. "Well, I wanted us to go someplace that we don't normally go, you know, make this a little special. This is the only place I could think of."

She walked closer to him, throwing her arms around his neck. All he could smell were cherries, her shampoo. "That's really sweet." They stood there like that for a few seconds, until Reid could feel his self control slip just a little.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He pulled away. "Not so much proving that I'm bad boy, huh?"

"Um, not exactly."

"Well don't worry, that'll come later. For now, let's eat…"

He laid out the blanket, motioning for her to sit down. She flashed him a smile before sitting across from him. She waited curiously to see what he had brought. He pulled out two subway sandwiches, some cookies, chips, and a package of strawberries and two bottles of water from the convenient store. She let out a laugh. That was so like Reid.

He looked up from what he was doing. "What? You didn't think that I was actually going to cook, did you?"

"Well I was starting to wonder. Coffee, picnic, crazily hidden place. How was I supposed to know? So, tell me, have you ever done this for another girl?"

He was silent for just a second, staring into her eyes. "No."

"Never?"

"Never."

"And what, Reid Garwin, makes me so special."

"Well, that's exactly what I'm hoping to figure out."

"So, are you done yet? Anything else you need to do? It's like, what almost six o clock? And we're meeting at Nicki's in about an hour?" Pogue was exhausted. Tyler had drug him around all day, doing absolutely nothing. He didn't really mind, except for the fact that he had to meet Kate in half an hour and they were still in the center of town.

"Oh, um, yeah…guess I'm done. Thanks for coming with me and all today."

"No problem, man. That's what brother's do."

They walked back to Tyler's hummer. Tyler wondered if Alex and Reid were done yet, how things went. He had an idea, based on what he saw that things were going fairly good, but he couldn't be sure until he talked to them tonight. That was, if they were going to still meet them there. "So, you need to go to the dorms, right?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm meeting Kate there. Plus I need to change, and all my good clothes are in my room."

They drove back to the dorms in complete silence. Tyler wasn't much for talking, and after spending all day with Pogue, he was more than tired of talking. He had no idea that it would be so hard babysitting his best friend. But then again, what did he expect. He had absolutely nothing to do, so he had to make up things along the way. Get a book, need some food, need socks… whatever. He was so happy to see Kate outside the school waiting for them. It meant that he could have a break.

"Hey, Baby." She gave Pogue a huge hug. Tyler could see why Alex would want something like that. It was so cute, so sweet…

"Hey. Listen, I'm just going to change really fast, and then I'll be ready to go."

"Okay. I'm just going to stay here with Tyler. You know, talk, find out how today went." She looked at him, a mischievous look in her eyes. She knew what was going on, and no doubt she would want to know everything.

Pogue gave her a kiss and ran up the stairs. The second he disappeared inside, she jumped on him. "So, how'd it go?"

"Well, not so well." He sighed.

"What do you mean? You didn't see Alex and Reid did you?"

"Yeah, actually we did."

"Tyler! You're kidding me?" She stepped towards him, a look of shock on her face.

"Nope. But it's okay. I was able to convince him that it was just a mirage."

She laughed. "Are you serious?" He nodded. "Well then it didn't go too bad, did it?"

"Yeah, that's what you think. I spent the whole day making up things to do today. I'm just glad that it's your turn now."

"My turn?"

"Yeah. And you get to do it when they're in the same building. So have fun with that…"

She smirked. "It won't be that hard."

He laughed. "Kate, you're his girlfriend. You could probably distract him if they were right in front of you, making out."

"Yeah, I don't think even I could do that."

As always, Nicki's was completely packed. And as always, Tyler, Caleb, Pogue and Kate managed to find a table somewhere in corner. And even more as always, Pogue was being the overly protective brother.

"So, has anybody seen Alex today? I haven't seen her since last night. Come to think of it, has anybody seen Reid?"

"Oh, um…" Tyler jumped in. "Reid told me earlier that he was going to be a little late tonight. He, um…he wasn't feeling too good this morning."

"And Alex told me last night that she was going to catch up on some homework. You know her; she's probably been in her room all day." Caleb cut in, trying to give Tyler a break. He's had one exhausting day. He needed all the help he can get. "Actually, I think I'm going to go call her, see if's she's still coming." _More like tell her to get down here before he asks anymore questions. _

"Yeah, that's a good idea Caleb," Kate said. "Why don't you go outside, it's probably less interference out there, don't you think?" Caleb smiled at her, before pushing through the crowd and out of the bar. "And in the mean time, why don't we go dance?" Kate pulled him out of the chair and towards the dance floor, leaving Tyler at the table alone.

He sighed, hitting his head against the table. So far, not so good. Sure, he wasn't suspecting anything, but he was asking way too many questions. He was going to have to know soon, and they were going to have to tell him.

Poor Reid. He hoped Pogue didn't hurt him too bad.

­­­

Alex was beginning to think that she had died and gone to heaven. Everything had been so amazing, the coffee, the drive, the lunch, the place…the boy.

They had finished eating hours ago, and since then they had just been sitting and talking. They were lying down now, staring up at the sky.

"It's getting dark." Reid had completely lost track of time, until now. He looked over at Alex. Apparently she had too, based on the look she was wearing.

"God, it is…Wow, we must have been here for, what, like… five hours?"

"Doesn't seem like that, though."

She grabbed his arm with both hands, pulling herself closer to him. "I can't get over how beautiful this place is. The sunset must be just… breathtaking."

"Well, I guess will find out."

They sat there in silence, watching the sky change colors, from blue to purple and pink. Alex broke the silence. "So, Garwin, what's the verdict on today? Success, Failure…neither?

He turned towards her, looking into her eyes. "Definitely success. What about you? What do you think?"

Alex smiled to herself. It was definitely a success. But, instead of telling him that, she was going to show him.

She rolled over a little more, until she was straddling him, her hands on the ground by his head. Before she could talk herself out of it, she bent down and pressed her lips softly to his. One of Reid's arm snaked around her waist, the other sliding into her hair, pulling her closer. He slid his tongue along her bottom lip, tasting her. She opened her mouth, and their tongue collided, battling for dominance.

Reid sat up, taking Alex with him. He slid his hand up her back, pulling her impossibly closer, not able to get enough. He wanted more, and he wanted it now. Her hands slid into his hair, then down his neck to his back, unable to keep still. She dug her nails into the fabric of his shirt.

Alex was getting lightheaded. She didn't know if it was because she was kissing Reid or if she hadn't taken a good breath in a while.

They pulled apart, both breathing heavily. He rested his forehead on hers, his hand still in her hair. "So, that's a vote for success, then?"

She laughed. "Yeah, that's a vote for success."

They sat like that, staring into each other's eyes, breathing heavily, until her phone rang. She moved to get it, but Reid kept her in place. "Don't answer that."

"That could be my brother."

"Exactly."

"I have to answer it." He sighed releasing his hold on her. She moved to get her phone, without getting up.

"It's Caleb." She looked at Reid, flipping the phone open. "Hey Caleb, what's going on."

"Well, I called to tell you that you guys might want to think about heading over here soon."

"Why?"

"Pogue's starting to ask a lot of questions, and from what Tyler said, he's been doing it all day. I don't think that he suspects anything yet, but if you're gone for much longer, he might."

"Shit. Okay, um… I guess we'll be there in about, half an hour."

"Alright. I think that we can distract him for that long…maybe."

"Thanks Caleb."

"No problem, as long as it was worth it. Was it?"

Alex was quiet for a second. She was staring at Reid, who was drawing circles on her back. "Yeah, it was."

"Good."

She hung up the phone with a sigh. "We have to go."

"And why's that. Wouldn't you rather just stay here, with me?" He slid his nose along her jaw line, placing a kiss on her neck.

She sucked in a breath at the feeling of his lips on her skin. "Um…if we stay any longer, he's going to come look for us."

"He doesn't know where to find us remember? We're in the middle of nowhere." He nibbled on her ear.

"Trust me, he'll find a way."

Reid pulled away, looking into her eyes. "Yeah, you're right. And why ruin a great night. Come on." He stood up, pulling Alex with him. With a flash of his eyes, the picnic stuff was in the basket and in his hands.

She smiled at him and grabbed his other hand. He return the smile, placing a kiss on her forehead, and pulled her back through the forest.

* * *

what did you think? Personally, i felt that it was a little out of style... really sappy, but some sapiness is necessary. But i promise that the rest will be no so much, still sweet, but with the Reid and Alex banter that we all LOVE!!!! I don't know, maybe it'll be better then.

anyway. please review. I love you all and i want to hear what you have to say. and if you do review already, and i love you EVEN MORE!!!


	20. Just a Little More Complicated

HA HA... so here it is finally... i know it took me forever, and i am SOOOO sorry

also, just want to apolgize because i know these to chapters have been a little off color for me, but i promise the next chapter will be back to normal...PROMISE

finally, here it is...

* * *

* * *

Caleb was pacing in front of the bar, cell phone in hand. Where were they? It had been thirty minutes since he had called them. He didn't want to be a bugger, but where in the heck were they that it took them half an hour to get to Nicki's, the center of the universe?

That's it, he couldn't stand it anymore. He was halfway through dialing Alex's phone number before he saw Reid's car glide smoothly into a parking spot in the front of the bar.

"Where have you been?" He was over to Alex in a matter of strides.

"Hey there Caleb, it's nice to see you too." She frowned, walking past him to the front of the car. "Miss me much?"

He sighed. "Sorry, your brother's got me on edge. I didn't miss him nearly as much as he has apparently."

She huffed. "Why is today the one day that he had to pay attention to where I am. Most days I am way later than he is and he never cares."

"Well, that's your brother for you...inconvenient as hell." Reid moved to stand next to Alex, just a little closer than normal. Maybe they could hide this okay…

"Come on Blondie, let's go inside before my brother has a heart attack."

Caleb watched curiously as Reid followed her through the bar doors, like an eager little puppy dog. It was cute, yet kind of scary. Reid was never usually submissive to anyone. Any other girl would have told him what to do and he would have told them to fuck off. Guess he really did like her. Then again, it could be the way she looked in those pants…

Nicki's was, as always crowded. Alex, Reid, and Caleb pushed their way through the bar to the normal table. Alex saw her brother and frowned. Something about seeing him made the end of the date so final. There would be no dancing tonight, no touching, no whispering secrets…no kissing…

"Hey, there's my girl! Where have you been?" Pogue smiled, giving his sister a hug.

"Dorms…Where have you been?" She lied.

"Out with Tyler, all day, in town. It was fun." He turned to his friend. "Hey Reid, man. What's going on? Feel better?"

"Huh?"

"Oh yeah…" Tyler jumped in. "I told them you weren't feeling good…remember?"

"Oh, um, yeah… I feel great, don't even feel like I've been sick."

"Did…did you guys come here together?" Pogue frowned, running his hand through his hair."

"Yeah, I called Reid before I left to see if he had gone. I didn't really feel like coming out by myself and ruining you little party here." Caleb had to hide his face to keep from laughing. She must have thought about this on the way here. "Why did you ask, does it matter?"

Pogue laughed, Caleb knew what was coming. "Well, I _thought_ I saw you two in town together today, on the pier…"

"Why would we be on the pier? What would be the point in that?"

He shrugged. "Don't know…just think its kind of a big coincidence…"

"Hey, dance with me…please?" Kate cut in, giving him her best puppy dog face, hoping to make him forget. Apparently it worked, because Pogue followed her out to the dance floor without a look back.

Alex sighed, slumping down in the seat next to Tyler, Reid sitting next to her, and Caleb right across the table. She put her face in her hands, shaking her head. "Man Alex, I didn't know you were so good at lying." Tyler shoved her playfully.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It comes to me," she mumbles.

"So…what happened to taking care it baby boy?" Reid asked, smirking at his friend. It was obvious that he wasn't really pissed off.

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't have been grouping her in the middle of town in broad daylight, where anyone could see you…anyone who could tell her brother, not just him seeing it for himself…"

Caleb laughed. "He's got you there."

"You live, you learn," Alex said, a smile on her face. She looked over at Reid, who had his eyes fixed on her.

Caleb was blushing, for god knows what reason. He would do anything to break the silence. He cleared his throat. "So, um…how did it go?" No answer. "Right, well, then…I'm guessing good. What exactly did you guys do?"

"Well, he took me out for coffee…"

"…and then out for lunch…"

"…and then we talked…"

"…and then…we kissed…"

"…and then-"

"WHOA! Wait! What was that?" Tyler asked.

"What, it's not like we haven't done it before." Reid smirked at Alex, and she returned it.

"Yeah, but I mean, this was like a real, first kiss."

Alex slapped his arm. "Don't look so surprised. What did you expect?"

"How was it?"

"Tyler!" Caleb couldn't believe he just asked that.

"Sorry Baby Boy, I don't kiss and tell."

Alex laughed. "Yeah right, you mean you don't kiss a girl and then brag all over school about it."

"Sorry to tell you Sweets, but it's usually the girl who goes around bragging about fucking me…"

"Oh, really…well I can assure you I won't be doing that."

"Really?"

"Yeah, actually, you're not really anything to brag about…not yet anyway."

"Oh, don't worry Alex, that'll change soon, I promise…"

Caleb cleared his throat again. He felt himself getting a little red. The conversation was heading in a more uncomfortable direction. "Right, so…" It did no good. In fact, things were getting a little worse. They were…gravitating towards each other. He had to kick Reid to make him stop.

"Oh, right. So…what exactly…do we do?" Things felt a little weird now. He was fighting between what he wanted to do and what he needed to do. What he wanted to do was…well, definitely not what he should be doing, especially not in public.

"Well," Tyler interjected, "maybe we should go play some pool, you know, like normal."

Reid shrugged. "I am a little low on money." He stood up, Tyler following. "I wonder if Aaron and the boys are around here anywhere.

Alex didn't understand his comment until they were halfway across the bar. "Play nice boys!" she yelled after them, not entirely sure that they heard her, but hoping that they did. They didn't need a repeat of the last time those two saw each other, and Nicki probably wouldn't be so forgiving this time.

"So, Alex…" Caleb broke out into a big smile, trying his hardest to keep himself from laughing.

"So…Caleb….how are things?"

"Great…" And then he couldn't stop himself anymore. He burst into laughter, doubling over onto the table.

"What's so funny?" He just laughed harder…she really didn't see it. "Caleb, I'm not afraid to use on you…"

"Weren't you just, like this week, denying that you and him liked each other?" She nodded. "How did you _not _see that?"

She huffed. "It's harder than you think…I don't know, when you don't see it, it's just…not there. But that's why I have great friends, to point these things out to me…"

"Well, let me just point out that you've got hi completely whipped." Her eyes shot up in surprise, laughing at him. "It's true…you should have seen the way he just followed you into the bar. He looked like a happy little puppy."

She shook her head. "Well, then it's mutual."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. When he plays his little games, I just melt…I have no control over anything." She bit her lip, her face flushing. She didn't need to be thinking about that right now, his little games of biting her neck. It just led her minds to other dirty thoughts that she didn't need to be having right now…

And apparently, Caleb could tell. He cleared his throat, Alex sliding her glance over to him. Yeah, he was definitely as red as she was. "Oh, Caleb, I thought you promise me that things wouldn't get weird. So far, they are pretty strange…"

"You just need something to get your mind off of it."

She huffed. "Like what?"

"I don't know, a drink?"

"Doubt that, unless, of course you mean a _drink _drink."

"Well then," he stood up, holding a hand out to her, "how about a dance?"

She took his hand, a smile crossing her face. "That I think would do just fine."

The dance actually worked, to distract her, for awhile. But then, she saw him out of the corner of her eye, playing pool, and her mind went straight back into the gutter, which just made dancing with Caleb a little bit uncomfortable. So she left him on the dance floor to dance with a little red head named Mollie or something like that.

She was sipping on a coke when Reid came over to her, plopping down in the seat next to her. "Hello there, Sweets," he said, whispering into her ear.

She smiled. "Hey there Garwin."

"So, you wouldn't happen to need a drink, would you, because I just won a shit load of cash from Kyle, you know…Aaron's friend."

"Oh, really?" She was playing with her straw, staring down into her drink.

"Yeah, they're a bunch if fucking idiots an-"

"Uh huh."

He frowned. "And he was wearing a pink bunny suit, looked like the Easter Bunny, kind of, only scarier…"

"Wow, that's great."

She wasn't listening. Instead, she was just swirling the straw around in her cup. He sighed, grabbing her hand. The straw stopped moving. "Sweets?"

She turned to look at him. "Yeah Reid?" She gave him a half hearted attempt at a smile, but it came out more as a retarded frown that didn't know which way was up.

"What's wrong."

"Nothing…it's just…I wanna dance Reid!"

He chuckled, letting go of her hand. He let a smirk slide over his face. "Well, baby girl, I would give anything to give you what you want, but I don't think that today is the best day to do that…what with everything that happened with your brother."

She nodded. "I guess you're right. Maybe we could do it next week or something." She looked down at her glass, a frown marking her beautiful face. She was visibly upset, and that broke his heart.

"Or maybe…" she looked up at him hopefully, "maybe we could just tell him."

She looked surprised. "You're kidding me, right?"

He shook his head. "No. I mean, he has to find out sooner or later. And if he's upset, then he'll get over it eventually. We should just…tell him."

"Tell who what?"

Reid nearly fell out of his chair and Alex let out a little squeak. Pogue had come up behind them, and they hadn't even noticed.

"Holy fucking shit Pogue! Why the hell do you have to sneak up on us?!" Alex swatted at his arm, her heart racing.

"Tell who what?" He repeated sitting down next to Reid. "Do you guys have some big secret or something?"

"Um, we were going to tell…" Reid began. Suddenly the ability to tell Pogue what was going on flew out the window. He looked at Alex, asking for help.

"We were going to tell Caleb that the girl he was dancing with is a bitch." Alex cut in, panicking slightly.

"Really? She seemed nice enough to me…" Caleb sat across from her.

Alex squeaked again. "Jesus Christ, couldn't you people please stop sneaking up on me? Fuck!"

"Whoa…chill would you?" And of course, it was Tyler.

Alex shook her head. "Is Kate going to sneak up on me, too?"

"No, she's in the bathroom."

"Good." She laid her head on the table. She desperately wanted this day to be over.

"Whoa, man, Reid, check out the hottie at the bar...she's your type."

Alex had to fight the urge to move. That would be great, give him more reason to suspect something.

Reid glanced over his shoulder. He wasn't interested, but he had to at least fake that he was. "You know man, not exactly into playing the game today."

"Maybe you should go talk to her…when's the last time you got any, the last time you even tried?"

"That is not a conversation I'm going to be having." He took a swig of Alex's coke, wishing that it was beer.

"Oh, come on Reid, we always have this conversation."

"Pogue, leave it alone…" Caleb chimed in. He felt sorry for his friends. And Pogue didn't need to be acting like this.

"What Garwin, you have a girl or something, or are you just chicken?"

"Okay, you know what," Reid stood up, wiping his mouth, "fine. I'll got talk to her…why not? Are you happy?"

He turned his back to the table, sighing as he walked through the bar to the blonde talking to Nicki. This was a hard thing to do for him, he knew that it was probably killing Alex. But what was he to do? It didn't matter; Pogue would pay for it eventually.

Caleb stared at his friend, her head still on the table. She hadn't looked up yet. He wanted to say something, to make her feel better. But what was he going to say?

He looked over at Reid and the blonde, who was practically sitting in his lap. He wondered how far he would take it, if he would make him regret ever setting them up.

He heard a sigh from Alex's direction and looked over in time to see her sit up. He looked for sign that she had been crying, but there was none. Then again, she was tough. If she was going to do anything, she would fight back.

She glanced over at Reid. "Well, looks like someone's going to get lucky tonight. At least he had a good time."

"What, you didn't?" Pogue asked, playing with Kate's hair, who had come to the table nearly half an hour ago. Yeah, it had been that long.

"Well you know, same old, same old. Hey, Caleb, are you leaving anytime soon?"

"Um yeah, thinking about it…"

"Great…do you think you could take me home? I'm getting kind of bored, don't really feel like watching people grope each other all night."

"Oh, yeah, sure…" He stood up, Alex following.

"See you later sis…"

"Fuck off…" she muttered under her breath. Caleb had to keep from laughing as they walked out of the bar in complete silence. He could tell that she wanted to burst, but she refrained from doing so until they got out to his car.

And then she let it out. "Damn it… why the fuck does he have to be such a jackass.

He chuckled. That was a question that he doubted even Pogue knew the answer to.

* * *

so...what did you think...you know what to do...

Thanks, ya'll


	21. The Best Dream

Before you read this STOP!!!!!! I have posted another chapter that didn't send out any alerts for some reason...but there is a chapter before this, chapter 20. Must read it first!!!!!

And now, on to this chappie

* * *

Reid had to be dreaming. He had to be. Never in his wildest dreams would he ever, EVER go to a high school dance. And especially not with Alex after her brother's whole suspicious attitude lately. How in the hell did she talk him into this?

She wouldn't. He was dreaming. There was no other way around it…

Or maybe him being here had something to do with Alex looking so _damn _good. It nearly made him choke on his own breath. She was wearing this turquoise dress, cut low in front and even lower in the back. Oh, and god, the slit ending high up on her thigh…

She was standing there, looking at him, her eyes on fire. And suddenly, he didn't give a shit where he was.

_Mr. Garwin…_

He swatted at the sound of that voice, pushing it away from his mind along with any other idea that he might be dreaming. Suddenly, he wanted this to be real…

He walked towards her, taking in every inch of her body, her attitude. It was almost more than he could handle. When he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to himself. She felt so real…

_Mr. Garwin…_

They began swaying to the music, still pressed together, his hands running over her warm back, nearly at the curve of her ass. She felt so warm…

_MR. GARWIN!!_

And then suddenly, he found himself flying through utter blackness, alone…

It was just a dream…

He opened his eyes to find his teacher standing in front of him, arms crossed. _Just when it was getting good, and then I have to wake up to this…way to kill a mood._

"Mr. Garwin, I suggest that if you're going to sleep in my class that you at least wake up at last bell."

"Huh…" He sat up, wiping his mouth, stretching away the soreness. "Yeah, no problem Mr. D…"

"I'll see you tomorrow…try to get some sleep tonight…you mind find tomorrow's class a little more useful."

"Right…I'll try." He gave his teacher a smile before standing up and walking down the stairs and into the hallway, which was…completely empty.

_Huh. How long was I asleep? _He shook his head, heading down the hallway. He wasn't sure where he was heading, but he knew where he would end up.

And just like he thought, he was in front of Alex's locker, and just as luck would have it, she happened to be standing there…

He leaned against the wall across from her locker, taking in her appearance. Her hair was down, covering her face. He followed the flow of it down her back, flashes of his dreaming coming back to his mind, and right down to her legs…those legs that he just then decided that he loved.

Wearing his legendary smirk, he walked silently across the hallway to her. Without a moment's hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up against him, places light kisses on her neck. "Hello there, Sweets," he said, between kisses. "Long time, no see."

"Hey Garwin." That was all she could manage to get out. She was fighting a slowly loosing battle not to respond to his touches.

She pulled away from him slightly, immediately missing the feeling of his lips on her neck. "Done with the blonde wonder already? Wow that must be record time!" She was wondering if he caught the little hint of humor in her voice.

He ignored her comment, pulling her close to him again, whispering in her ear. "You didn't answer my calls yesterday…I was worried about you."

She chuckled, turning around to face him, staring into his eyes. He pushed her into the lockers, the smirk still on his face. "Well, I thought maybe you were meaning to call the blonde wonder and were by some mistake dialing my number instead."

He frowned at her. "Alex…" he said warningly.

Apparently he hadn't caught the humor. She giggled, slapping at his arm. "Relax Reid, I was just joking… I knew you weren't trying to call her."

He sighed. "So then why didn't you answer?"

"I spent the day with my brother. Wasn't sure that it would be a good idea, you know. Thought maybe it would look a little weird with you calling me, after yesterday…"

He nodded in understanding, moving his forehead to rest on hers. "I'm sorry…that I didn't tell him yesterday. It just, it didn't come out…I guess you can say that I chickened out…"

She ran a hand through his hair. "It's okay. I didn't to, you know. I could have told him just as easily…"

"Yeah, but you shouldn't _have _to. Let's face it, he's gonna be angry when we tell him, and it shouldn't be directed at you."

"We'll tell him eventually."

"I'll think I'll tell him today, at swim…"

"Reid…"

"I don't want any more repeats of last night. You know, I thought you'd be pissed at me today."

She laughed. He pulled away to look into her eyes. "I was pretty pissed…but at my brother, not you. He's such an asshole, and not even because of me. You said you didn't want to talk to her, and he shouldn't have pushed it…" She laughed again. "You should have been there yesterday with us. It took all of my self control not to throw him through a window, or even say anything. I feel bad for Caleb, she had to listen to it all the way home last night…"

"He's a big boy, I think he can take it…"

She sighed, looking in his eyes. It was only then that he realized he was still holding her, and they were still pressed against the lockers. His mind flashed back to the dream, and his head flooded with fairly dirty thoughts of what would have happened had he stayed asleep.

He shifted uncomfortably, hoping to release some of the tension that he had just created for himself, but it only made things worse.

"You okay, Reid?" She frowned at him, her hands resting on his arms.

"Yeah, yeah…you know, I had a dream about you in English class today…"

"Oh, really…and what was it about."

"Well, we were at the dance, and you looked incredibly sexy in this little turquoise dress that you were wearing."

She giggled. "Is that what you were just thinking about?" She understood it all, his movement, his change…

All Reid could do was nod. She smiled at him. "Well, do you want to relieve a little of that tension?

He looked at her, eyebrow raised. Had she really just said that? And is if to confirm that he had heard correctly, she tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling her head down to hers.

Their lips brushed together in a moment of completely electricity, something that never ceased to amaze him. He pushed a little harder, his hands wrapping a little tighter around her, and her hands tensing equally.

The brush of tongue on tongue pushed the electricity to lightning, setting him on fire, taking away his breath…

And then it was over.

Tyler and Caleb came around the corner, nearly bumping into the two. Reid and Alex jumped apart as if the electricity had been real, if they really had been shocked.

"Reid! What the hell are you doing?" Caleb couldn't believe he had just seen that.

Reid sighed, still looking at Alex. "What exactly did it look like?" Alex smiled

Caleb shook his head. "I know what you were doing you ass, I meant why are you doing it here?"

Reid shrugged his shoulders as if saying _why not?_

Caleb rolled his eyes. "You're lucky that it's us who found you and not someone else."

"What do you mean?" Alex turned her attention on him, a confused look on her face.

"Pogue is looking for you too man," Tyler chimed in.

"And why is he doing that."

"Coach is going bonkers because you're half an hour late for practice and we have a meet this weekend…remember?"

"Shit," muttered Reid, running a hand through his now messy hair. "I forgot…Sorry Alex, we'll have to finish this later." He smiled at her.

She returned her own smirk. "Looking forward to it…"

She looked so damn cute that he couldn't help but kiss her one more time before following the boys down the hallway.

Tyler was laughing so hard that Reid thought that he was going to die. "What's so funny baby boy?"

"Nothing…it's just…do I dare say you're whipped."

"Fuck off Tyler, I'm not whipped."

He would deny it all he could, but deep down, he knew that he probably was.

* * *

so, whatdidya think????

let me know, you know how


	22. Tired Confessions

wow, so I'm sorry it's been awhile, but I'm getting ready to graduate high school on thursday, so ive been really really busy...

this should make up for it though, plenty of reid/alex fun going on here, of course with a little Pogue meddling...

* * *

Swim practice was absolute hell. In fact, it was the worst practice that he had ever had, because not only did the coach yell at him for being late, and not only did Caleb and Tyler laugh at him for being completely whipped, but mostly it was hell because all Pogue did was bug him about the blonde girl from the bar, the same blonde girl that _could _have cost him his relationship with Alex. Thank the gods that she was more mature than that.

Too bad her brother wasn't.

"So, man, really, how did it go?" It was the fifth time that Pogue had asked him. It was getting old, and very annoying.

"I told you already, it didn't go." He was drying off from his last dive. There was no point in standing around wet for five hours while coach waited until he was ready to watch him dive again.

"It didn't go?" Reid just shook his head. "Why not? She didn't like you?"

"No, _she _liked _me_ just fine."

"Then you didn't like her?"

"No, I didn't like her." He plopped onto the bleachers, Pogue sitting next to him.

"Oh really? What didn't you like about her? I mean, she's blonde, not too bad looking… a girl. What about her didn't you like?"

Reid huffed. "I don't know. She just wasn't…my type."

Pogue laughed. "Since when have you had a type?" Reid glared at him. "What? It's just that since I've known you, you haven't given a shit about what a girl was like, as long as she was hot."

Reid snapped. He couldn't help it. "Well, maybe I've fucking changed. Couldn't that be a possibility? Damn it, I didn't like her, okay?"

Pogue's eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, man, calm down. I was just trying to help. You haven't had a fucking date in I don't know how long. What, since the party when you went with Kira…"

"I don't need your help to get a girl, Pogue. I can do it, I've been doing it for a long time, and way more times than you and Tyler and Caleb combined."

"That's the point, man."

Reid looked at him confusedly. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"You need to get a girlfriend. Stop fucking with girls, find someone you really like."

A moment of silence passed between them. It was the perfect chance to tell him, and Reid knew that. But he just couldn't make himself say it. It was just as simple as saying _I like your sister,_ but he just couldn't. "Man, that doesn't make sense." And it really didn't. Things just seemed off, forced, about this whole thing.

Pogue laughed. "I know Mandy. She's nice, a lot of fun…I thought you'd like her."

Reid ran a hand through his hair. "Well, you were wrong…very wrong…"

"Yeah, I guess so. I don't know, maybe I should just stay out of relationship business. I mean, apparently, I know absolutely nothing about what people like. I thought that you'd like Mandy; I thought that Alex would never ever date a prick like Aaron, and so far I've been wrong twice. Which reminds me, do you know if Alex is seeing someone else?"

"Why would I know that?" Reid looked at the floor. He couldn't look at his best friend.

"Well, you knew last time, plus I think you've been spending more time with her than Caleb has. God, she's just been acting so strange lately, I was hoping that you knew something…she hasn't mentioned anything?"

Reid looked up, staring at Pogue. The look on his face gave Pogue away. This wasn't just a friendly conversation, and last night wasn't him trying to set up Reid with a nice girl. It was a game, all a set up to get down to what was going on. Pogue knew, he knew that something was going on between Reid and Alex, and he knew that Alex wouldn't break, so he was testing Reid.

He should have figured, Pogue wasn't stupid, and they were being so open about things. It was only a matter of time before he would figure it out. And now he was playing with Reid to get a confession. Too damn bad that Reid just wasn't going to let him play him like that; there was no way he was going to break.

"Garwin!" The coach shouted, and Reid looked over towards him. "Get your ass in that pool! You've got half an hour to make up!"

As Reid got up, he heard Pogue say "We'll finish this later."

"Yeah, whatever." Oh, boy, would they finish later. Pogue had no idea how much exactly they would finish later.

"Faster Garwin! We don't have all night!"

Caleb and Tyler were walking in the opposite direction. He muttered to them as they passed. "Fuck me."

"What's going on?" Caleb called after him.

He turned, looking towards the coach, before turning back around and walking towards Caleb.

"Garwin!"

"Pogue's getting out of hand. He's playing with me. He's fucking playing with me. That whole thing at Nicki's with the girl, how he keeps asking me about it. And you'll never guess what it led to…how I've spending more time with Alex than you. He's trying to break me, and I'll be damned if I let him do it."

"Garwin! Get your girly gossip ass over here!"

He turned around. "I'm coming. Hold the fuck on!"

Shit. He did not just say that to the coach…shit.

Coach stood completely still, the whole room had stopped. They were all waiting to see what was going to happen. No one, ever, had snapped on the coach. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally broke the silence. "Twenty-five extra laps, and get over here NOW Garwin or it will be fifty!" Reid huffed before sulking over to the coach, muttering obscenities all the way. "Show's over, folks…hit the showers!"

Caleb shook his head. "This has to stop. Things are getting carried away."

Tyler sighed. "I know, but what do we do?"

"I don't know man…I don't know."

It was nearly an hour later before Reid got out of practice. He had managed to piss the coach off enough that he made him stay twice as long. And now, the campus was completely devoid of life; it was a home weekend.

He was alone, he was pissed, he was exhausted, and all he wanted to do was to talk to Alex.

Okay, so he _was _whipped, he still didn't plan on admitting that to anyone.

He was halfway to his dorm when he grabbed his phone and dialed her number. The phone rang three times and he nearly hung it up, thinking that she wouldn't answer. But then he heard her voice on the other line. "Hello?"

"Hey Sweets." He found himself smiling at the sound of her voice.

"Hey Reid. What's going on?"

"Just got out of swim. What about you."

"Caleb just left. He was telling me about my brother's little games that he's trying to play."

Reid chuckled. "Oh, yeah, that…it really pissed me off."

"So I'm guessing you didn't tell him."

"No, and I'm not going to, not on his terms." He could hear her laugh at the other end of the phone. "What?"

"That's what I said too."

It was Reid's turn to laugh. It died away slowly, into silence. "So, what are we going to do?"

"Ride it out. He'll forget eventually…maybe. But either way, we let him suffer a little longer, then tell him."

"Do you think he'll forget by the dance?"

"I don't know…it's only two weeks away…wait." He could almost hear her smiling. "Why?"

"I don't know…maybe I want to hang out that night…on a real date."

"Well I don't know. I guess we'll just have to see."

Reid was smiling now. Comfortable silence passed between the two. He missed her. "I want to see you."

"I want to see you too." He would bet a million dollars that she was biting her lip.

"Can you meet me somewhere for dinner?"

"Pogue's home. I'd have to sneak out..."

"Right, not a good idea."

"But…you could come over if you wanted."

Reid frowned. "You just said Pogue was home."

"Pogue is home, but you sneak through my window."

Reid froze in his tracks. Did she just invite him to her room? Yes, yes she did. But it wasn't like that kind of invite, the kind he usually had, he knew that. So…why was he so nervous?

"Reid? Are you there?" She was nervous too. Huh, maybe it was just the idea of being in her room with her. Oh, god. "Reid!"

"Oh…sorry, I think I just froze up…you did just invite me over, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Then I'll see you in about half an hour…I need to change first."

"Okay…good…I'll see you then…wait, you do know which room is mine, right?"

"Second floor, backside, second and third from the right." He rattled it off, faster than he meant to.

"Wow…I don't know whether to be amazed or a little creeped out."

"What can I say, I remember little things about you, stupid things, like which window is yours, or what you favorite color is…"

"Or my favorite drink, though I think you only went out to coffee with me, like, two times, and not since last year."

"I think…I think that maybe I've felt this way a little while…"

"Yeah, me too."

"Okay, I'm at the dorms…I'm gonna change and then I'll be over.

"Yeah, okay…um, I'll see you soon."

Reid was pretty sure he got dressed in record time. And he was pretty sure he drove to Alex's house in record time, though it meant he broke about fifty laws to do it. Mainly, driving laws.

He parked on a side street behind her house. He cut through her neighbor's yard before scaling the brick wall surrounding her property and crossing her lawn to the house. Now, all he had to do was get to her balcony, and from there, it was an easy climb to her window.

The only problem was that he had no idea how to get to her balcony. You see, unlike the movies, there was no trellis that he could climb; there was only a gutter pipe.

And it was either that or walking through her door. So he went for the pipe. He'd seen people do it in movies before, and it always looked really easy. But fuck, it was as hard as hell.

_I'd better get a kiss for this at least. _After what felt like forever, he finally found himself on her balcony and at her window.

She was laying on her bed, doing homework, in a white tank top and a pair of shorts. Her hair was back in a ponytail. She looked beautiful.

He knocked on her window. She looked up with a smile on her face before walking over to the window and opening it.

"Hey," Alex said as he climbed through the window. God, he looked good. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. It was nothing extraordinary, but it looked good on him.

"Hey. I just scaled your house using a gutter pipe."

She giggled. "Do you want a reward or something?"

He smirked at her. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do."

"So what is it exactly that you want?"

He grabbed her hips, walking towards her. "Hmm…anything?"

She raised her eyebrow"Within reason, Garwin."

He tried to look innocent, but he knew that he was failing miserably. "Alex, I'm hurt. What would ever make you thing that I would ask anything else?"

"Well, do you remember when I threw the paper wad at you?" She grabbed the arms that were still holding her.

He narrowed his eyes in concentration, and began swaying her hips slightly. "Be a little more specific."

She huffed. "The one that I threw at you the day I told you about Abbott." He still looked confused, and she rolled her eyes. "The one that said fuck you?"

"Oh! That one…what about it?"

"You said you were going to collect on that."

He smiled at her, an evil smile. "I intend to collect on it." He had to stifle a laugh when her eyebrows shot up. "But not tonight." She smiled, and he pulled her into a hug. Reid wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back, resting his chin on her head. They stood like that for a few seconds, just enjoying each other. "But I wouldn't mind a kiss."

"Well now, I at least owe you that. I mean, you did just scale a building for me." She pulled back a little, tilting her head up to his. Their eyes met, and he caressed her cheek before capturing her lips with his.

She deepened the kiss, intertwining her fingers with his hair. He closed the gap that she had created, pulling Alex flush against him. He felt her tongue brush his lip, but it was him who slid his tongue into her mouth. She rubbed herself suggestively against Reid, and he had to stifle a moan.

He slid his hands down to her ass, gripping it and pulling her impossibly closer. Her hands dropped ho his belt, playing with it.

He could barely control himself. He moved his hands to the hem of her shirt, pushing his fingers beyond it, ever so slightly, feeling the softness of her skin. He travelled further and further until he felt the fabric of her bra. Lace. She moaned; she wasn't stopping him. She was his.

And then he did something that he never thought that he would do. He pulled away from her, breathing heavily. His hands came to rest on her hips, his forehead on hers. "Alex, Alex…we have to stop, we can't…"

She nodded. "I know…"

But they couldn't stop. They leaned in, their lips touching, their mouths opening, their tongues colliding. And he was losing control again. No. It couldn't be like this.

This time, he didn't pull away completely. Instead, he lessened the pressure, until he was barely kissing her.

He placed a small butterfly kiss before whispering her name. "Alex…"

"I know." He opened his eyes to stare at her. Her face was flushed, her lips swollen, and her eyes were still closed.

"Maybe I should just go…"

She shook her head, violently, her eyes still closed. "No, no…stay with me."

"Your brother is downstairs…I can't."

"It wasn't a question Garwin. You can't kiss someone like that and then just leave them without even having a conversation."

He sighed. He didn't want to leave. "No more of this, okay."

She laughed. "Duh jackass."

"Alex…open your eyes."

She shook her head. "You don't want me to."

He rolled his eyes. "It wasn't a question Sweets."

With a sigh, she did, and Reid found himself staring into complete and utter blackness.

He smiled. "Well that's an interesting development." The only thing that had ever reduced Alex Parry was extreme anger. He wonder what other extreme things could cause it too…

She chuckled, shaking her head. "The things you do to me Garwin." She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the black was gone. "So, are you staying or not?"

"Yeah, I'm staying."

"Good." She pulled away from him, moving to stand by her desk. "So, what do we do?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, I'm kind of tired…"

She smiled. "So, you just wanna…sleep…together…with actual sleeping…" He nodded. "Okay." She swayed over to the bed and climbed inside, patting the spot next to her.

Reid kicked off his shoes before sliding in next to her. He pulled her closer to him, molding her body to his, caressing her back.

He was the tired one, but she was falling asleep in his embrace. He couldn't help but stare at her, how beautiful, how peaceful. "Reid…" she mumbled sleepily.

"Yeah Alex?" he whispered.

"Lights." He gave a lopsided grin. With a flash of his eyes, the room went black.

"Thank you." She snuggled in closer to him.

"Yeah, no problem."

He could still barely make out her form, lying in the bed next to him. He felt so powerfully for her, something that he never thought would be possible. As he looked down at her face, he realized just how much he cared for her, just exactly _what _he felt for her…

"Reid?" She was more than halfway asleep; she was almost all the way there.

"Yeah?"

"I…I…really, really…li…lo…" She didn't finish. She had fallen asleep in the middle of her sentence.

He smiled to himself. It didn't matter if she was asleep or not, he still felt compelled to tell her what he had just realized himself, but what made so much sense. "I love you, too, Alex."

He kissed her on the forehead before settling down in the bed next to her.

And with that, he felt into the greatest night of sleep that he had ever had.

* * *

so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review... the more the better...

and to all of you who have been reviewing...thank you sooooo much! I love you all!


	23. The Beginning of the End

wow...it's been a long time...just in case you got forgot who i was, because it's been so long, i'm the author! Nice to meet you...or remeet you!

Just wanted to say that the people who are still reading this are AWESOME because you wait so long for my updates...

but i think this is worth it...i had writers block, but this broke through, and i love it!

The bad news, i only forsee, at most, five chapters, but at most likely three, or even two...and since i broke my leg, they should be coming pretty fast..we are nearing an end.

The better news, i have a reid onshot in store, and a tyler story, and a sequel! YAY

anyway, enough with the news, here's the chappie

* * *

Alex awoke at the first hint of light in her bedroom. She opened her eyes, still tired, and with a groan, rolled back over. What she didn't expect was to feel a warm body next to her.

It took her a second to sink it exactly what was going on. But slowly the events of last night came flooding back to her. It was then that she realized that the warm body next to her was in fact Reid Garwin.

With a smile, she only snuggled in closer to him, laying her head on his chest. That was, of course until she remembered that Reid was lying in her bed, in her house, with the rest of her family only lying a few rooms away, especially her brother who would probably blow a gasket if he walked in.

She bolted out of the bed, staring down at the form that had not moved. For a second, she couldn't help but look at him. His bed head hair only helped to accentuate his bad boy look, which, in her eyes, just made him that much cuter.

Then she came to her senses. "Reid!" She hissed through clenched teeth, trying to wake him up with being as quiet as possible. He didn't move. She tried again. "Reid!" Nothing.

She slapped him in the arm, jolting him out of his sleep. He sat up groggily, wiping his eyes with the palm of his hands before stretching. He opened his eyes, taking in the room around him. A smile crossed his face as he realized where exactly he was. "Hey Sweets, good morning."

She huffed, rolling her eyes. "Get up!"

He frowned. "What?"

She slapped him again. "You heard me! Get up!" He didn't move, just stared at her. She hit him in exactly the same spot.

"Ow! What the FUCK woman!"

"Shhh! Do you _want _my brother to hear? Get up."

With a huff, he crawled out of her bed. "There are you happy?" He was rubbing his arm. She could hit pretty hard.

She glared at him. "No, I am _not _happy. You have to leave…now!"

He smirked, crossing his arms. "Sweets, that's not what you were saying last night."

Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. That would have been funny any other time, but not now. "Get out!"

He frowned, moving towards her. "Sweets-"

She stepped back. "Now!"

He threw his arms up in defense. "Fine, I'll talk to you later when you're not so pissed." He knew that he had no right to call her pissed, because in truth, he was probably more pissed than she was. He wasn't exactly sure why, though he expected it had something to do with the fact that she was acting like what he said last night never happened.

He turned to leave, crossing the fairly large room in a few strides. He had opened the window and nearly climbed out when something dawned on him. He turned around to face her. "Can I ask you something?"

She rolled her eyes before walking over to him, shoving him out the window before climbing out herself.

He frowned, running a hand through his hair. "Do you remember last night?"

She crossed her arms. "What about last night?"

"Oh, I don't know…what was said?"

"The last thing I remember was asking you to turn out the lights."

So that was it. She didn't remember. He wasn't sure if that should make him feel better or worse. On one hand, she didn't blow him off this morning, but on the other, he had made a confession that she didn't hear. And if she was that tired, what made him think that what she was about to say was real?

She interrupted his thoughts. "Why? Did I say something embarrassing?"

He chuckled, resting his hand on the back of his neck. "Not exactly."

She frowned in confusion. "What do you mean 'not exactly'?"

He shrugged he shoulders. "Nevermind."

"Okay, good…so will you please go?"

He looked at her for a second, an amused expression on her face. He couldn't help but realize that though she was a complete mess from sleeping, she still looked absolutely cute. He should have been irritated at her, if only slightly, but he just couldn't manage it.

That was, of course, until she opened her mouth. "Reid!"

He huffed. "Fine, fine, I'm leaving."

Without another word, he turned around, and with a flash of his eyes, jumped off of her balcony and landed effortlessly. He would have climbed down to impress her. Too bad he was in a hurry to leave.

Too bad he still had to scale the fence.

Reid expected the dorm room to be empty, but there was Tyler, sitting on his bed playing his ps2. He nearly walked back out. He didn't feel very much in the mood to answer questions. But it was already too late the moment Tyler heard the key in the door."

"Hey there man, where ya been all night." He tried to fake like he wasn't interested, his eyes never leaving the little TV that they shared. But Reid knew Tyler well enough to know that he was interested.

He also knew there was no point in lying to the younger son. He sighed. "At Alex's house."

Tyler couldn't even pretend not to be interested now. He dropped his controller on the floor, which fell with a loud clunk. Reid could hear the telltale signs of his character getting killed.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Baby Boy. It's not what you think." He pulled of his jacket before slouching down on his bed, his hands covering his eyes.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Tyler finally said something. "So…then you didn't-"

"No."

"No?"

He sighed. "No."

"Okay…did you even try-"

"No."

There was silence for another few moments, before Tyler spoke again. "Really?"

Reid sat up, a look of annoyance on her face. "Really, Baby Boy. In fact, I actively _tried _not to." He looked at Tyler, who could only stare at him in disbelief. "What?"

"Nothing…it's just…well, that's a change."

He rolled his eyes, before standing up, pacing the room. "Yeah…I guess it is."

"Can…can I ask why?"

Reid smirked. "You could Baby Boy, but it probably just be simpler, and a lot more interesting if you just asked me what happened."

Tyler nodded, a little confused. "Right. So…what happened?"

Alex was walking down the boardwalk, coffee in hand and Caleb at her side. He had called merely moments after Reid left, asking if they could meet for breakfast, and she had willingly said yes.

She hadn't exactly intended on telling him about last night, or this morning, or talking about Reid at all, in fact. But it was too easy, once she was in his presence, and once he had asked her immediately what was wrong because he knew her too well, for her to just spill her guts.

So now, she found herself walking down the boardwalk, the events with Reid out on the table, and feeling much better about it.

"I don't know. I mean, I thought maybe I found a side of him that was different, but then he goes and acts like his normal old badass self again, like he doesn't give a shit."

Caleb was running a hand through his hair. "Well, that's Reid…a badass, or I guess, more correctly, a jackass."

Alex chuckled. "I guess what sucks the most is that when I used to joke about him not being so badass, he used to tell me that I would see that he was…I guess he was right."

"But didn't you start to like him when he just Reid?"

"Yeah, I did, but we also fought a lot more when he was just Reid…still, I can't help but still like him when he's an ass."

"That just means you really do like him. When you can still stand to be with him at his worst, that's when you know it's real."

Alex smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes until Caleb finally asked the one thing that was on his mind. "So, are you going to tell Pogue?"

She frowned. "Tell Pogue about what?"

Caleb stopped, looking at her like she was crazy. He just looked back at her like she genuinely had no idea what he was talking about. He chuckled before answering her. "About Reid?"

A small _oh_ escaped her lips before she huffed and began walking again. Caleb stared after her a moment before catching up with her, which wasn't very hard considering she wasn't walking very fast. "What's there to tell?"

"You're not writing him off just because of this morning, are you? He's not that much of an asshole."

She giggled slightly. "No, not because of that. It's just that we…never really became official…I kind of thought that we came over to talk about that last night, but I guess not. I don't know…maybe he doesn't want a girlfriend. Maybe he's just…messing with me."

"Well, I doubt that." She gave him a look that said _are you kidding me?_ "No, seriously, you should see him when you're not around. He's completely whipped. But if you seriously want to know, there's ways to find out."

"Like what…ask him? I don't think so."

Admittedly, that was his first thought, but he had others. "Well, you could always test his…tolerance when it comes to seeing you with other boys."

It was her turn to stop now. "You mean, like, flirt with other boys and see how he handles it?" He nodded. "Are you crazy?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Always works with Pogue and Kate."

"Yeah, well…Pogue's jealous."

"And you don't think that Reid would be?" He had seen jealousy in action when it came to Reid, all too often, when she was dating Aaron, but he wasn't about to admit that.

She started walking again, mulling over Caleb's idea. It was so off character for him, but she had to admit that it was a hell of an idea. "Would you Caleb?"

He took a sip of his coffee. "Would I what?"

"Be jealous, if you were Reid?"

"Either jealous or protective, but either way, you should get the same results."

She shrugged. "True enough. Either that, or he'll hate me."

Caleb laughed. "Yeah, that's a possibility, too."

Tyler sat in awe, his mouth agape and staring at his best friend. Reid wasn't exactly sure how long they had sit like this, but he suspected it was quite a long time. Just as he was about to ask Tyler if he was okay, Tyler finally said something.

"So, you told her-"

"Yeah."

"You actually said-"

"Yes!" Reid interrupted rather more sharply than he had intended, but the younger boy was wearing him thin with these repeat games of his.

"Oh." He got up, walking around before coming to a stand in front of Reid. "And you two aren't even official yet."

"No, Baby Boy, we are not official. So what?"

"Well, it just seems so…strange to hear that you told some one that you…you lo…"

"I loved them?" Reid finished for him since he seemed unable to say it himself. Why was Tyler taking it harder than he seemed to? Then it suddenly dawned on him. Reid was the only thing in life that was stable for Tyler, the way he acted was something that Tyler counted on. So, when Reid changed, it meant that his whole foundation practically crumbled.

"But she didn't hear you?" He kept pacing, while Reid sat on the bed.

"No, she didn't…or at least that's what she said."

"Huh. So…what are you going to do?"

And here's where Reid lost it. What _was _he going to do? Tyler was right, they never were official, but the feelings he had were real. It only seemed right that he should tell her again, but he was…

"Afraid?" asked Tyler, staring at him. Reid looked at him confused, and Tyler started laughing hysterically. "You do realize you were talking out loud, right?" Reid just shook his head. When Tyler calmed down, he continued with his conversation. "So you really are afraid then?"

Reid forced himself to laugh, because that's exactly what he was, though he refused to tell Tyler that. "Me, afraid? Did you forget who you were talking to?"

"It's okay to be afraid, man."

"I'm not afraid, Baby Boy." Reid got up grabbing his jacket. He didn't know where he was going, but he had to leave.

"So what are you then?"

"Confused." That wasn't a total lie, because now he was confused again, and things had been so simple. Well, okay, they weren't simple, but the made sense. He was nearly out of the door when Tyler spoke again.

"Are you going to Nicki's tonight?" he called after his friend.

"Yeah, whatever, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

In truth, he wasn't sure about that either.

* * *

well, what did you think? Please, please review! Your reviews only inspire me to write faster, so if you want those chappies, review, and feel free to give me ideas, etc.

oh, and i think the characters were a little less ooc, well at least Reid, what do you rhink!

LOVE YOU ALL, K


	24. A Really Good Idea Goes Really Wrong

okay, so a few things before we get started...

It might please you all to know that i've finished this stroy!!! There are three more chapters left!!!! Here's how fast i'll decide to post them...by reviews of course. I've decided that i'm getting a considerably low review to reader ratio...over two hundred hits per chapter and only 6 reviews...it makes me sad, and i feel like no one likes my story...so the more reviews that you give, the faster i post! AND TO THOSE OF YOU WHO DO REVIEW I LOVE YOU ALL, YOU MAKE MY DAY!!!!

Next, i must warn you...things happen in this chapter that are NOT PLEASANT...it may in fact upset some of you, but I encourage to keep reading...becasue things turn out better PROMISE.

And last, though it doesnt concern this story...i am currently working on the sequel to this as well as a tyler story that will come out shortly after this...if you have any ideas, i encourage you guys to give them to me...I havent set anything in stone yet...so please send them to me

okay okay, now on with the chapter

* * *

Alex was standing in front of her mirror, looking over her reflection for the thousandth time. Kate was lying on her bed, and Caleb was standing against the wall on the other side of the room. Both were looking at her proudly, having put together her entire ensemble. Kate had done her make-up, and Caleb had picked out the outfit. He had called it sexy several times. And now, the excitement was showing on their faces.

She however was as nervous as hell. "Reid is absolutely going to shit himself." There was no doubt in her mind that she looked beautiful. Her hair was flowing down her back in waves, pinned back at the top to show her face. Her eyes were highlighted the slightest bit with mascara and eyeliner, the black accentuating the green in her eyes. She was wearing black tank to with white polka dots. It had a white band right below her bust, and it flowed out from there. If that wasn't enough she was wearing the tightest pair of jeans she owned and black high heels.

For one second, she felt confident. Then the fear rushed back, stronger than ever. "And then he is going to kill me." She turned to face them. "Guys, I don't think I can do this."

Kate huffed before walking over to her and playing with her hair. "Girl, you are going to do great. You look fabulous. The guys will be drooling all over you…in fact you probably won't have to do anything. They'll be trampling over one another to get to you."

She smiled hesitantly, looking over at Caleb. He had barely said a word to her since he picked out the outfit. He was smiling at her, and she bit her lip, asking what he really thought. "You really do look great."

"Thanks."

Kate finished touching her up and all of a sudden, Alex felt like she was thirteen again, when he mom did her make up for the big school dance. It's not that she couldn't do her own make up, but more like she really wasn't sure she wanted any part in what was going on.

It's not that she didn't want to know once and for all how Reid really felt about the whole situation. And it's not like she thought she looked bad. She just had this weird feeling in her stomach that told her things were going to end just a little badly. As much as she tried, she couldn't shake that feeling.

Kate grabbed her jacket from the her bed and Alex walked over to where Caleb still stood, not moving one inch since god knows when.

She looked up at him expectantly. "Take me to Nicki's?"

He smiled at her. "Yeah, of course." He took his coat and slipped it over her shoulders. She looked at him quizzically. "It might be best if Pogue doesn't see you just yet."

She nodded once. "Right."

He took her hand, giving it a squeeze for reassurance. "Come on."

"Wait!" She pulled him back to his spot. "Promise me one more thing?"

He smirked at her. "What?"

She took a breath to steady herself. "If Aaron gets within five feet of me-"

He cut her off, placing a finger to her lips. "You don't even have to ask."

She breathed a sigh of relief. At least that was one thing that she didn't have to worry about.

"Reid! Reid!" Tyler was trying to get the attention of his best friend, but he was doing no good. Reid seemed to be completely lost in thought, which was quiet an anomaly as far as he was concerned. Plus it was just another thing that made his friend seem even more distant.

Reid was acutely aware that Tyler was trying to say something to him, but he was too far gone in thought that the moment to really care. Not only was he once again confused about things with Alex and whether or not he had done the right thing last night, but now he was worried about Tyler.

His little revelation that Tyler saw Reid's behavior as a constant and something he could always count on made him somehow feel that he was letting Tyler down. He was sure that Baby Boy didn't really care; after all, he had set them up together. Still he just couldn't shake the feeling.

"Tyler, you know that I'll always be here for you, right? Even if I do have a girlfriend?" He could hear the strain in his voice.

Tyler looked at him, a puzzled expression on his face. "Yeah…"

"And you know that even if I do act a little different, that I'm still me, right?"

Tyler couldn't help but stare at him. What was going on? "Are…you okay?"

Reid took a moment to evaluate the situation. Was he okay? "No." He stood up, looking down, but avoiding Tyler's gaze. "I'm gonna go get a beer."

"A beer? Reid hadn't drank in forever.

"Yeah…I need a beer." He finally made eye contact with Tyler. "You want one?" Tyler just shook his head. "Okay."

He watch Reid walk across the bar, the people parting as always like he was a god. He wondered what they would think if their "god" was falling apart over a girl. Okay, well maybe it wasn't all about a girl, but she had started it. And Tyler was sure that she would be the only one who could fix it.

Let's just hope that Alex didn't decide to do something stupid. She wouldn't…would she? She was smarter than that. That's what Tyler had convinced himself.

That was, of course, until she walked into the bar with Caleb. His jaw nearly dropped. She looked just as gorgeous, if not more, than the night she had danced with Reid. Only tonight, she wasn't dressing up for him. In fact, she wasn't looking for him at all.

_Oh. Shit. _

Kate was right in a way that Alex didn't think was possible. As soon as she got into the bar and she took off Caleb's coat, she was surrounded by boys she had seen every weekend. These were the same boys that had been afraid to talk to her because she belonged to the infamous Sons of Ipswich.

She guessed that tonight they didn't care, as fate would have it. As she was being pulled into the bar, and pulled away from Caleb, he heard him say something about being there to watch her, just in case.

She yelled a "_thanks__"_ back before taking a deep breath and deciding to let things unfold how they would, no matter the outcome. Little did she know how much the outcome would be testing her.

She knew the names of the boys she was talking to, but in truth, she didn't care. Instead of paying attention to the boys surrounding her, she was scanning the bar, looking for any signs of the boy that she would rather be with. She didn't see him anywhere. Was he even here?

"Alex?" The boy called James was talking to her. She reluctantly turned back to him.

"Huh?" She felt bad for not listening to him. It was clear that he had asked her a question and she had no idea what it was. She felt bad because this wasn't who she was.

"Do you want something to drink?" He asked her again, not even caring that she hadn't heard him the first time.

"Oh, yeah, that would be great." He smiled before walking off.

"Do…do you want some food?" That was Landon; he was in her history class.

"No, I'm good, thanks." She gave him the best smile she could though her head was still turned in the direction of the bar.

"Oh," he replied, a little hurt, before asking her again. "Are you sure?"

She was too preoccupied at the moment to answer his question. Because right in front of her, at the bar, was Reid, two beer bottles in front of him. He wasn't even looking her way.

Though she would never admit it, his nonchalant attitude to her absence stung her in a place that had never hurt before. Surely he had to know that she was missing. Everyone else was here. Wasn't he asking himself where she was?

Maybe not. Maybe she had only imagined that he cared for her. But then again, wasn't that what she was here to find out, to see how much he could handle? Maybe she wasn't pushing far enough.

In her mind she had always imagined that when she was surrounded by boys who were clearly creeping in on his territory, that he would walk over through the crowd, put his hand on her belly in that possessive way that could be both terribly cute and annoying at the same time, and he would declare that she was his, right before placing a light kiss on her neck.

Some girls might think that was annoying, but to her, it was the sweetest thing in the world, because that was who Reid was, and that was what she wanted.

James came back, bringing her drink, an unsure look on his face. "Uh…I got you a diet coke; I thought that it was a safe bet…"

He handed her the diet coke, and she tried to hide her frown. If Reid was here, he would probably just laugh, his hand around her waist, and with that adorable smirk, tell James matter-of-factly that she hated diet coke and would just have preferred regular before pulling her off to the bar to right the situation.

But Reid wasn't here, so Alex would just have to make the best of things. She would drink the diet coke now, and hope, just hope that Reid would bring her a regular later.

"Dude, what were you thinking?" Tyler asked Caleb after he spilled the entire plan to the younger boy in complete detail.

"Don't you think that you're being a little overdramatic?" Caleb answered.

Tyler laughed nervously. "Overdramatic? Do me a favor and look at Reid." Caleb turned his head to find his friend sitting at the bar. "Do you see what I mean?"

He did, in fact see what Tyler meant. Reid looked extremely pissed, like Caleb had never seen him before. He had skipped jealousy and gone straight into kill mode.

Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea after all.

Reid was using all the self restraint he had not to go and beat the shit out of the guy whose name he thought was James. Actually, it was taking all of his self restraint not to beat any of the boys surrounding Alex, but he was directing most of her anger towards James, since that seemed to be her favorite.

What the fuck was she doing? So he had pissed her off this morning, just because he didn't want to leave, and now she was going to flirt with other people to make him jealous?

He gulped down what must have been his…third…fourth beer. He lost count. He didn't really care. What he cared about was the girl on the other side of the bar, letting herself get felt up for god knows what reason.

If it was for him, which he knew it most likely was, he was torn between a couple of things. First, he wanted to drown himself in more beer because he was the reason she was getting felt up. Secondly, he wanted to go over there and tell the other boys to fuck off, because she was his.

But could he really do that? They weren't official, nor did they deserve to be since they couldn't even tell her brother. She was single, and so what if they kissed…a lot. He had no claim on her.

Not like that ever stopped him from trying before. If he wanted it, then he wanted it, and he would take it. But she was different. He _wanted _it to happen naturally, not forced…not like going over there and kissing her would be forcing anything…she liked it after all.

And this was the point where the alcohol started to kick in, and his thought process became completely fucked. Well, maybe she was doing this so that he would finally step up and say that she was taken. Normal Reid would have probably stopped the thinking right there, and pulled her away for a dance.

But, no, not drunk Reid. Drunk Reid went on to think that she had not right to do things that forced him to make decisions. And so if she wanted him to go over to her, he wouldn't. She could play her jealousy game as long as she wanted.

In fact, two could play that game.

And he would too, that is once he was sure he didn't have anything to worry about from the wonder boys over there.

Alex glanced several times at Reid before she realized that he was, in fact, staring at her, intently. And boy did he look jealous.

If anything, the look should have told her that she should have stopped, but it only spurred her on more. Suddenly, she found herself wanting to see his reaction…instead of just staring at her. She wanted to know if he would do something.

Faintly, she recalled how pissed Tyler had told her he'd been when Reid had found her dancing with Aaron. Maybe another dance would have the same effect.

She turned to James, interrupting him in the middle of whatever he was saying. "Do you want to dance?" She blurted out, not even trying to be sexy or cute.

He didn't care. "Uh…yeah, sounds great." She heard the groan of the other boys as he led her to the dance floor. She knew she should feel sorry for James, because Reid probably wouldn't let him live it down, but she couldn't help but be happy as she noticed a change is his stance. It went from predatory to I'm going to kill you.

She was overjoyed that the song was slow, because she didn't think either her or Reid could take it if it was a fast song. He smiled, wrapping his arms around her as he locked her behind his neck.

They weren't as close as her and Reid had ever been, but Alex didn't really want to be that close. She really hoped that she wouldn't need it.

She became extremely nervous when Reid got up and walked her way. What she didn't expect was him to walk straight past her and to the door.

Suddenly, she craved the closeness of James. Pulling herself closer, she laid her head on his shoulder, willing the tears not to fall.

Reid nearly walked out of the bar. He was even at the door, and he knew it was the right thing to do. He had drunk far too much, and he needed to get out of there before he did something that he would, no doubt, regret. But for some reason, he couldn't make himself do it. The alcohol fought him, told him to stay where he was, and to play the game, too.

After several minutes, Reid crumbled and let the alcohol win.

Fine so he would play the game. Not like Alex really cared anyway.

He walked back across the bar, purposely avoiding the dancing couple, the large group of boys that continued to grow, and stalked out his prey.

He knew he had hit the jackpot when he saw the blonde girl that Reid had been forced to talk too thanks to Pogue. Maybe he had done a good thing after all.

He put on the sexiest smirk he could manage, and walked over to the girl, among a group of her friends. And just like normal, he didn't hesitate.

"Hey there Baby…" he gave her arm the slightest brush, "miss me much?"

The girl was a little too excited, and a little too drunk. She threw her arms around Reid, snuggling into the crook of his neck, something Reid remembered as being Alex's favorite place. "You have no idea."

With a brief thought of Alex, Reid thought _bet I do._

It didn't take Alex long to see Reid and the blonde wonder. And neither did she care anymore, she told herself. If he really wanted to play it that way, then she could play harder, and she would.

She made herself completely forget Reid, and focus on James, Landon, and the other boys that were giving her all the attention that she should have needed.

And so the two spent the next couple of hours like that, both trying to make each other more jealous than they were, and both of them failing miserably. They were so engrossed in each other, or rather their respective toys that they didn't even notice when a certain jackass had walked through the door.

Reid had spotted Aaron at least thirty minutes after he had gotten there. He had been keeping tabs on him the whole time, which was about an hour now. He told himself it was because he hated the boy, but he knew that he was keeping tabs to make sure that Aaron stayed away from Alex.

Reid noticed the second that Aaron left the pool table and walked towards Alex. She, however, didn't even seem to care. Maybe he shouldn't have been concerned, but he couldn't help but remember what he had told Aaron the last time they talked. He had told him very specifically to stay away from her.

And he remembered, long time ago, promising Alex that he would kick his ass if he ever hurt her, which he did. He wouldn't let their fight break that promise.

The blonde girl was busy sucking at his neck. He brushed her off quickly. "Listen Babe, gotta go for a second."

He tried to push away, but she grabbed at him. "Are you coming back?"

He pulled away from his grasp. "Maybe…but probably not."

She frowned, but didn't say anything. What do you say to Reid Garwin, the sex god, the man you either accepted or didn't.

Aaron was making his way slowly over to her, not in any hurry. Did he really think that he had it in the bag? Didn't he realize he meant nothing? Did he care?

His slow moving pace made it easy for Reid to intercept Aaron. He was still wearing his bad boy smirk. "Where the fuck do you think you're going Abbott?"

Aaron just smiled. "I'm going to join the party over there. Do you mind?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do. Didn't I tell you to stay away from her?"

He laughed. "Does it matter what you say. Really, it doesn't look like she cares anymore. Wow, that relationship was over before it even started, wasn't it?"

Reid stepped even closer. "Stay away from her Aaron. It's your last chance."

Aaron stepped up too. "What are you going to do about it Garwin?"

Reid lunged at him, but before he could get a hit in, Alex was there in between them, holding him back. Had she seen the whole thing?

"Reid, what the hell are you doing?" She was pushing him back with all of her strength, and Reid was still struggling against her. "You don't talk to me all night and the next thing I know, you're about to beat up someone for walking towards me?"

"Sounds about right," he said through gritted teeth.

"Stop it! Look, Nicki is going to throw you out. Can't we just go outside and talk?"

Before the words left her mouth, she found herself thrown over Reid's shoulder and walking out the back door, or rather being carried out.

"Reid, goddamnit! What the hell are you doing?"

He set her down, backing up, trying to keep his anger in check. He would never hurt her, but he didn't want this to turn into a fight. "You want to talk? Okay, fine, tell me what the hell you were doing with all of those guys tonight?"

She huffed. "Me? What were you doing with the blonde wonder?"

He shook his head. "That's not fair Alex. You started it with the boys!"

"Yeah, well you finished it didn't you?" She tried to push past him, but he stepped in front of her.

"What were you trying to prove? That you didn't need me?" He should have let her go. Things were not going to go well.

"I wasn't trying to prove anything. I was trying to figure out what the hell is going on!"

He was confused. "Going on with what?"

He glared at her. "With us? You sit here, and act like one person, like you really like me, and then all of a sudden, you turn into an asshole."

He smirked at her. "I told you. I told you I wasn't as good as you thought."

"Yeah, I got that before your whole shit this morning, before you acted like an ass. You didn't have to do that, you know."

"_I _didn't do anything. You're the one who went off the deep end this morning! You're the one who got pissed. I'm sorry if asshole is my defense technique. That didn't mean you had to go and act like the school slut and fool around with all the guys." He regretted the words as soon as he said them, but it was too late to take them back. Besides, he wasn't sure if the liquor in him would let him.

She glared at him, her eyes almost flashing. "I'm the slut! Who's the one with the hickey from the one girl who's been screwed by the entire Spenser population?"

Reid shrugged, his grin firmly in place. "I'm Reid Garwin." That was all he said, as if that explained everything. Really it did. It explained why he couldn't just do what he knew he should have and grabbed her when she got there. It explained why he retaliated. It explained why he had to screw up the best thing that have ever happened to him.

But to Alex, it didn't explain anything. It just made things worse. It made her feel like he was slapping her in the face, telling her she shouldn't have expected anything else from him. It's like he was saying she should have expected to be used.

She was trying to push the tears back, but she couldn't make them stay. They began to flow down her face, making her even more ashamed.

When Reid saw the tears, he realized how big of a mistake he made. She pushed past him again, but he grabbed her. "Alex."

She wrenched herself out of his grip. "Don't."

"But-"

"I hate you, Garwin."

He was frozen. He didn't know what to do. She had just said she hated him, and that arrow pierced him through the heart. It was more painful than anything he could have imagined.

He reached for her again as she pushed past him. This time, she slapped him. He let her go, not even pretending like he could be upset. He deserved it.

And so she walked away from him, and back into the bar, leaving him outside, slightly drunk, and more confused that he had been earlier.

She also left him with a pain that he had never felt in his life…one he only imagined getting your heart broken would feel like.

Suddenly he wondered why he didn't just go over to her in the beginning.

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so, what did you think!!??? Please review...pretty please??? 


	25. Whoever Said No Regrets Never Broke Up

tada..here it is...hope you like

but first, just wanted to sya thank you to all those reviewers! i got so many that i was happy all night! And you guys wanted it, so here it is...and remember...the more reviews, the faster i put the chapters out...if i get enough i'd put the next chapter out tonight!

and remeber, i'm starting a seqeul...i really want to know what you think it should be focused around...the movie, after it, a little of both??? What do you think???

but now, back to the story

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Even though he had said he wouldn't, Reid did go back to the blonde. He went back, not because he was trying to make Alex jealous anymore, no, that was beyond this now. Instead, he went back to forget.

But he couldn't forget what she had said to him, no matter how many times he kissed her, no matter how many times he danced with her.

He was still thinking about Alex when he asked to blonde wonder if she wanted to leave and go somewhere a little more private. He saw the memory of the tears that had fallen down her face as he asked Tyler for his keys.

He saw her shining eyes in the dark of his dorm room, the blonde on his lap, shirt off and permanently attached to his mouth.

And most of all, when he woke up in the morning, blonde wonder beside him, he was remembering what it felt like to be laying next to her.

He was back to being a complete ass; no more good side. He let the blonde get up, get dressed and leave without talking to her or even sparing her a glance. Why should he? That's how he operated. Girls were just fucks, what made her any different.

But as soon as she was gone, he wished he might have kept her here a little longer. Because now, he was alone with his best friend, who he could tell was absolutely pissed at him.

He could tell Tyler was playing with the thought of saying something to him. But honestly Reid didn't feel like talking to him, because he knew what he would say. He would say what he already knew: he fucked up.

So when he heard Tyler take a breath, preparing himself, he stopped him in his tracks. "Don't."

"But-"

"I said don't Baby Boy." He shuffled around the room, looking like he was trying to find clothes; but really, he was trying to avoid looking at the boy.

"You don't even know what I'm going to say!" Tyler stood up, raising his voice slightly.

"Yeah I do, man."

"Really, and what's that?" He was following Reid around the room now.

"You're going to say that I fucked up."

"Damn right you fucked up. What the hell were you thinking?" Tyler was definitely yelling now, and it was giving Reid a headache, most likely do to his hangover.

"No need to yell Baby Boy, I hear you just fine."

"Reid-"

"What makes you think it was a mistake anyway? Maybe it was supposed to be this way. I don't do relationships anyway."

"That's a bullshit excuse, man."

Reid knew Tyler would call him on it. "But it's an excuse all the same."

What he didn't expect was what Tyler did next. He grabbed Reid, spinning him around and pushed him against the wall. He hissed in surprise. "So you hurt Alex, you called her a slut, because you don't do relationships? Even though, just two days ago, you were telling everyone how much you liked her and felt different about her than anyone?"

Reid's answer surprised the both of him. "Maybe she's better without me." It came out as a whisper.

Tyler loosened his grip on Reid, but he didn't let go. "Better without you? So, you're saying she's better off a complete wreck, crying her eyes out on my shoulder while Caleb took us home? You're saying she's better off miserable without you than happy with you?"

"No, I'm saying she's better off without me because I can do that to her. Someone who deserves to have her wouldn't be able to do that. Besides, she deserves better than Reid Garwin, the complete asshole who uses girls. She deserves someone like Caleb."

"But she doesn't want Caleb…she _wants _you."

"Wanted me Baby Boy, she _wanted me_. Now she hates me." He pushed his way past the younger son, Tyler not even trying to stop him.

"You don't know that." Tyler said, still standing by the wall, Reid was moving around, getting dressed.

"She told me so." He was putting on his shoes, completely done.

"She didn't mean it."

He headed for the door, opening it. "Yeah Baby Boy, she did." And with that, he was gone.

Caleb felt the worst he had ever felt in his entire life. It would have broken his heart to see Alex cry anyway, but knowing it was mostly his fault made him hurt even worse.

He wasn't exactly the one that broke her heart last night, but he was the one that led her straight towards it; he was the one who suggested making Reid jealous.

Honestly, with everything that happened with Aaron, he thought that it _would_ make him jealousy. Hell, Reid was jealous when he heard that she was dating Aaron, let alone talking or dancing.

But he was wrong, very wrong, and he was very sorry. That's what intended on telling her when he decided to call her the morning after.

He picked up his cell phone and dialed her number. It rang once, nothing out of the usual. Twice, maybe she was still sleeping, three times, she would have answered it. By the fourth ring, he knew she wasn't going to pick up.

He decided to leave her a message, but when he heard the beep that told him he could start, any preconceived notions of what he was going to say went out the window. He found himself completely tongue tied. Nothing seemed right. All he could manage was two words.

"I'm sorry."

He hung up the phone, hoping that he hadn't completely ruined what they had forever.

Alex heard the phone ring, and she knew before she picked it up that it was Caleb.

She also knew that she wouldn't be answering.

She wasn't necessarily mad at him or anything; she just didn't want to talk, to anyone, because she didn't want to talk about Reid.

Instead, she wanted to forget, which was going to be hard enough seeing each other every day, so she didn't exactly think that hanging out or talking with the people that he hung out and talked with wasn't going to help the situation.

For the next week, the Covenant was practically shattered. Alex and Reid went at great lengths to avoid each other, and that generally meant that the other's suffered, too.

And it seemed as if they were avoiding Tyler, Caleb, and Pogue just as much as they were avoiding each other. Tyler found that Reid wasn't around the dorm room anymore, like he was purposely trying to avoid him. He thought that maybe he had taken to sleeping at home. That was, of course, before he woke up one night to find Reid passed out on his bed.

Alex no longer sat next to her brother or Caleb during English. Instead she sat across the room, in the last row. It didn't matter that she was closer to Aaron now than she had been before, she just cared that she wasn't around the Ipswich boys.

And neither of them sat at the lunch table anymore. So it came down to Caleb, Tyler and Pogue, together alone. It was that way for a few days until Pogue started questioning what was going on, which was a question than neither of them wanted to answer, because it would involve way to much detail, and cause way too many questions. By the end of the week, all five of the friends were at separate tables.

That was until Friday, when Tyler decided he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't stand being away from him friends, he couldn't stand not talking to Reid, but most of all, he couldn't stand Alex separating hemself from the group when she needed them the most.

He managed to corner her after school, at her locker. She was putting her books up when he walked but behind her.

"Hey," he said quietly. He expected her to brush him off in some way, tell him she had to leave, but when she turned around, she had a sadly pretty smile on her face. "Hey Tyler."

He had the urge to give her a hug, but he didn't want to push her. "How are you?"

She shut her locker. "Fine…I guess. It sucks, but I think I'll live."

That was Alex. She was determined to be okay even when she had every right not to be.

"So…are we ever going to get to see you again?"

She smiled sadly again. He wished she'd stop doing that. "Yeah, maybe."

"We miss you…all of us." He was hinting at Reid, too. It was clear that he did miss her, more than he would admit. His attitude was spiraling downward, fast, and he was using way more than he should.

He could tell she got the hint when she shifted uncomfortably. "I miss you guys too."

There was silence for a few seconds before he asked the one question he really wanted to know the answer to. "Alex. Do you…really hate Reid."

She thought for a second, before answering with a note of sureness in her voice. "Hate is a very strong word."

"So, you don't."

She shook her head. "No, I'm just…upset. I thought that I finally found something…but how I feel doesn't really matter. He still hates me…"

Tyler grabbed her hand. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

"If he didn't hate me, he wouldn't have slept with the blonde wonder." Tyler's eyebrows shot up. "She told me the day after. She was bragging about it, like she'd just won the Olympics."

"He doesn't hate you Alex…"

"Yeah, well, he never told me any different."

A strange look crossed Tyler's face, one that Alex couldn't identify, but she knew required clarification. "Tyler?" That was all she needed to say.

"You really don't remember…what he said to you…the night he slept over, when you were falling asleep."

She looked confused. Why did Tyler know about it? What did he know? Reid didn't tell her he said anything. "No…what did he say?"

He shook his head, running a hand through his hair, a smile crossing his face. "Maybe you should ask him."

She frowned. She really wanted to know what he said. It was tempting to ask Reid, but they both knew she wouldn't.

The rest of the day, her mind was reeling over the possibilities. She was focusing all of her energy into trying to remember what he said, but nothing came to her.

It never dawned on her, even as she was falling asleep, that he just might have said he loved her.

* * *

so...did you like...keep reading...it's going to get better...PROMISE! 


	26. Late Nights with Friends

Tada...here it is hope you like...and thank you for all the reviews

* * *

Alex woke up, realizing that she hadn't really eaten anything for dinner last night and that she was painfully hungry.

She put on a pair of slippers and headed down through her big empty house, hoping to reach a big empty kitchen.

The kitchen, however, was not empty. To her dismay, Pogue was sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal. She almost turned around, but it was too late; Pogue had seen her. "Hey Brat," he called to her affectionately. She smiled at him. "Take a seat, have some breakfast."

She slowly walked over to the bar in the middle of the kitchen while Pogue poured her a bowl of cereal. She accepted it gratefully, and began to eat without another word.

She kept her eyes on her bowl, trying to avoid the gaze of her brother, which she knew was directed at her. Just as she wished that he'd say something, he did. "Am I a bad brother?"

She nearly choked on her cereal. "What? Why would you think that?" She finally looked up to see him with sincerity on his face.

"Well, I always seem to be the last one to know when something's wrong with you. I thought twins were supposed to have this…connection."

She smiled. "Pogue, you're the last one to know what's wrong with me because you're usually the last one to cause anything to be wrong with me…"

"But I should still be one of the first ones to know, right?"

"It's really okay…you're a good brother. The fact that you care whether you're a good brother or not proves it."

"So…why don't you tell me anything?"

Suddenly, Alex realized how bad of a sister she had been. Pogue, this whole time was only trying to be her brother, and she had been pushing him away. He only wanted to help, he only wanted to know what was going on with his sister, the person he was the closest to in the world.

She set down her spoon, her eyes a little more wet that before. "Pogue…I didn't tell you what was wrong with me because you were happy…it wasn't my right to bog you down with my own problems and make you less happy."

"Hey…" He grabbed her face in her hands, wiping away a single tear that slid down her cheek. "What you don't realize is that it doesn't matter whether you say it or not, I can feel when you're upset, and it makes me upset anyway. I guess that's the connection thing…"

She found herself laughing slightly, not because it was funny, but because she was relieved. She was relieved because, for once, she understood why Pogue pried into her life. She was relieved to know that he really did car.

It was obvious that he knew that something was wrong with her, or else he wouldn't have even started this conversation. For once, she felt up to sharing. "Reid and I got into a fight…a big humongous fight at Nicki's last weekend."

He nodded. "I kind of figured that much, since you both kind of went introverted this past week, not to mention you've been avoiding each other." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Is it that bad of a fight?"

She nodded. "We yelled, called each other names, I slapped him…"

"You slapped Reid!" Pogue looked like he couldn't believe it.

Alex rolled his eyes. "It's not like it's not happened before.

He laughed. "Wow, I'm impressed."

A few moments of silence passed before Pogue spoke again. "Don't hate me for asking, but…was there something going on between you?"

Alex thought about the answer that was something she wasn't entirely sure about now. She thought there was, but the way events had unfolded, she didn't know how much exactly there was between them, how real it was. She looked up at Pogue, and with a certainty she didn't know she had, she told him what she thought was the truth. "No."

That night was the night of the dance, and though Pogue offered to stay home with her, she told him to go. She could tell that he really wanted to, so who was she to stop him?

But as the day went on, and after Pogue left, Alex found herself wanting _someone _to hang around with her tonight. Just as she was sitting down and preparing for a lonely night of watching television, she heard a knock on her door.

She frown, utterly confused. She had no idea who that was. Her parents were out of town, and everyone else she knew was at the dance, except for Reid, and she knew better than to think it was him.

So it was with great hesitation that she walked to the front door. She grasped the handle, taking a breath to prepare herself just in case she might have to use. But when she opened the door, any ability to use went out the window. Caleb was standing in the doorway, two bags of goodies on either side of him.

"Caleb, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the dance?"

He smiled. "Yeah, but I decided that I wasn't going to let my best friend sit home alone because of something I did."

This was his way of apologizing for what had happened at Nicki's. And always, it was too much. This wasn't even his fault.

"Caleb! You're crazy! You had nothing to do with me being here alone. You had nothing to do with Reid being a complete jackass."

"Nonetheless, I'm here. Can I come in?" She was dumbfounded, absolutely speechless. All she could do was stare. "I have ice cream."

She smiled, stepping to the side to let him in. He made his way to the kitchen, knowing her house just as well as he knew him own. She followed him, listening to what he was saying. 'I brought some salads for dinner, some popcorn and ice cream for dessert, plus some other candy for the movies."

Her eyelids shot up. "Movies?"

He turned around, leaning against the cabinet. "Oh, didn't I tell you? I brought some movies." He was smiling.

"You're amazing." He rolled his eyes. "Really Caleb, you didn't have to do this."

"Yeah, I did." He took a step closer to her. "Look, I know you said that I had nothing to do with the fight, but if I hadn't told you to make him jealous, things wouldn't have spun out of control. You two wouldn't be fighting like this. And more importantly, I wouldn't have to miss you for a whole week when you needed me."

She felt bad. She shouldn't have taken herself away from Caleb and Tyler and Pogue. She shouldn't have made Caleb think she was mad at him.

With a genuine smile, she crossed the small distance between her and Caleb, launching herself into his arms. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, burying his head in her hair. With a kiss on the top of her head, he said, "I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

Nearly four hours, two movies, salad, popcorn, a gallon of ice cream and two bags of candy later, Alex and Caleb were sitting on her couch, completely fully and exhausted.

Her legs were draped across his lap, and they were covered in piles of blankets. A third movie was in the DVD player, but neither one of them was really watching.

"So," Caleb said after one intense discussion on whether Raisenettes or Twizzlers were better, "Tyler's birthday is tomorrow."

"I know. He'll finally be able to drive legally."

Caleb laughed. "We're throwing a party for him tomorrow."

She nodded. "I know."

"Are you going?"

She sighed. That was a stupid question for him to ask, it was Tyler's birthday. But she could understand why he was asking. "Of course I'm going to Tyler's birthday. I wouldn't miss it for anything."

Caleb let the comfortable silence settle over them before he asked his next question. "So it won't matter if Reid's there?"

Alex shook her head. "It's going to be a little weird, but I'll be okay with it. I'm okay now."

Caleb grabbed her hand. "If you were okay, then you wouldn't be upset. You'd be happy."

She gave him a weary smile. "I was happy with Reid, Caleb. It's going to take me a while to get used to things without him. But I'm still okay. I've made peace with things, I think." Caleb nodded, silently telling her to continue. "I mean, it hurts, knowing what I probably lost with him, knowing what it could have been. But I know that I won't get that back…we're both way to stubborn to ever apologize to each other…so it's just going to go on like this. The hardest part about the whole thing though _is that it _hurts. I think that it would have been a lot easier if I knew that I didn't have any part in the reason that we ended. It would have been a lot easier if I could have just blamed him."

"It always is."

"And then, when I look beyond that whole relationship thing, it hurts because I've probably lost a friend too."

"Come on, Alex…you and Reid were never just friends anyway." She looked at him curiously, allowing him to explain. "You two never worked like the rest of us did. Things were always different with you guys. Me and Tyler tried to keep you away from the guys, Reid goes into destroy mode. We stare into your eyes, and you can look away, but when Reid does it, you get all…incapacitated. Not to mention all of the subtle things."

Alex looked as if she was remembering her whole entire life in a new light. Her eyes were shinning, and Caleb couldn't tell whether it was with realization or tears. "Yeah, I never realized it before…but you're right. Maybe that why things between us felt so…perfect." She sighed. "But not that it really matters anymore…he hates me."

"Alex…you can't honestly think that…Reid wouldn't get pissed if he hated you. How long have you known him? He only gets pissed if he cares about someone…if he didn't, he'd just brush you off. But that was what the blonde girl was about…he was trying to get back at you…to hurt you because you hurt him…he cared enough about you to let you hurt him."

She just shook her head. "You don't know that." She looked down at her lap, wishing it was true.

"Alex…" Caleb grabbed her chin, pulling her face up to his. "He does. He loves you. He told you so."

She frowned, confused. "What?"

"The night that he stayed at your house. When you were falling asleep, he said that you almost said it, and then he told you…"

"How did you…"

"He told Tyler, and Tyler told me. He was hoping you would ask him yourself, but he knew you probably wouldn't."

Alex was amazed. Suddenly everything made sense. It made sense why he didn't want to leave, why he tried so hard to say. It made sense why he got so mad when she was flirting with other guys…it upset him. And when she said she hated him…god that hurt.

And she thought about if she had really said she loved him. She could remember it, now, just a little. But she could. Why now of all times? What astonished her was why she would say it so soon. They weren't even official.

But did it matter how long they had been dating? She knew that Caleb was right, they had felt this way for a very long time. And if you really feel something, wasn't it okay to say it?

So she thought about it? Did she love him? He was a complete jackass, who could be so self-centered. But then on the other hand, he had this whole other caring side, though more often than not, it didn't show its face.

Could she live with the whole asshole side of him, if the other side never showed? She couldn't think of a reason why not. That's the side of him that she fell in love with in the first place. That's the side that she remembered being happy around.

And really, he never stopped being a badass. She had thought that these were moments when he was someone else, but when she thought about it, these were just moments when they had entered new territory. He still had the same smirks, and the cute little comebacks, he still acted the same way as he would have. It was just a different side because he had never been in love.

Yes, she did love him, and probably most when he was a badass, because that was Reid. That's who he was. So when she said it, she meant it just as much as he did.

She had finally found what she was always looking for, what she always wanted: someone to love her like Pogue and Kate loved each other.

And now, she had ruined that.

She could feel the tears spring to her eyes. How could she be so stupid? How could she doubt him?

Caleb saw the tears the second they happened. He pulled her to him, resting her head on his chest. He let her cry out her tears without saying a word. She needed to cry, so he would let her.

When her sobs had stopped, when her tears had dried, he finally let himself speak. "Alex…you should tell him how you feel...tell him you love him."

She wiped her cheek. "I know, but I can't. What if he says he takes it back, what he said about loving me?"

Caleb whispered in her ear. "He won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because you two are too much alike."

Reid tiptoed into his own dorm room, across his own floor, and over to his own bed, all because he was too stupid and too drunk to do what he should have done.

He looked over at his friend. Tomorrow was Tyler's birthday. They were having a party for him, a party he knew that Alex would never miss. And Reid wouldn't either.

That meant that there was no doubt that he would probably be in the same room together. Oh well, it had to happen sometime. He knew a week was probably pushing it.

Though he was trying his hardest not to, he mind kept drifting back to what he would say tomorrow when he, inevitably, made it a point to talk to her. Because he would.

He knew he had no right to, after calling her the one thing she wasn't, and he knew that things probably wouldn't go well until he apologized.

The old Reid would never apologize. But that Reid was probably gone…forever. It was gone the moment he said sorry to her for the first time. He cared about her enough that he would swallow his own pride if it meant that she wouldn't hate him tomorrow.

So that was on his list of things to say. But after that, he was lost.

He knew sorry wouldn't fix things; he screwed them up beyond repair. He couldn't take it back. All he could hope for was that they could move forward.

But what was forward? Could he deal with just being her friend? That's not what he wanted, even though he knew he couldn't expect more. No, what he wanted was to pick up where they left off, or rather where they should have left off. He wanted Alex to be his girlfriend.

He thought the word with a laugh. Who ever thought that Reid Garwin would have a girlfriend? He was probably the last person. But something about Alex made him want that. He wanted her to be his and no one else's.

He wanted that because he loved her. He truly, madly, deeply loved her. And know that he knew that, he couldn't remember a time when he didn't feel that way. It didn't even matter if she felt the same or not. That didn't change his feelings.

He crawled into bed, not sure exactly what he would say, not sure what would happen. But he knew exactly what he wanted.

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so what did you think...please review...remember...the more i get the more i update...

ALSO >>I'm still waiting for all of your lovely ideas for the sequel...I have some but they're rather...i don't want to say stereotypical...but they kind of are...so if you have any fresh ones...i would appreciate it

THANK YOU ALL- Kirsten


	27. Finally Getting Things Right

so...here it is...the final chapter!!!! I'm happy yet sad...

PLEASE REVIEW STILL though, becuase I have a question...what do you guys want for the sequel...movie or no movie? any good ideas you have would be appreciated...i want to make you all happy!!!

so here it is!

* * *

Alex was standing at the island in Tyler's kitchen, messing with a bottle of water. She had come here with the premise of getting something to drink, but in reality, she wasn't very thirsty. Really, she just wanted a break.

She felt bad for leaving Tyler's party, she did, but she wasn't sure if she could be in the same room with Reid any longer.

She had taken the liberty to glance at him a few times, and he looked miserable. That was enough to break her heart, because she had made him that way.

Alex had contemplated going over to talk to him, but she couldn't make herself leave the warmth of Caleb by her side. He stayed by her, like he had promised her last night before they fell asleep on the couch.

But eventually, she couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't take seeing him upset like that. So she had fled to the kitchen where she was alone.

Last night, she had realized a few things. The top of the list was that she loved Reid, no matter what; she loved his badass nature, whether it was fake or real, she didn't care. She loved him.

And when she realized this, it was the most exhilarating thought she had ever had. She loved him; she had found the one person that was missing in the one place that she wasn't looking for him.

But it was also one of the scariest thoughts she had ever had. Because she knew that surrendering herself over to that feeling, surrendering herself over to him, meant that she gave him the power to hurt her.

That's why she couldn't talk to him, like she knew she should, because she was afraid of getting her heart broken…again, when there was no need for it the second time. She didn't exactly get her heart broken when he called her a slut, because she knew he didn't mean it. It was the feeling like she was being used by him that did it, and it was hard enough the first time. She didn't need any more clarification.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even hear anyone come into the kitchen. She didn't even realize when said person walked all the way across the room. It wasn't until she felt a hand on her waist that she realized anyone was there.

The touch was all too familiar, something she had found to be occurring more and more often until recently. She took a breath to steady herself before turning around to face the one person she was afraid to speak to.

Reid was wearing jeans and a form fitting long sleeved grey shirt. His hair was hanging over his forehead, but luckily not blocking his chilling blue eyes. She had to take another breath before she could trust herself to speak. "Hey."

He raised an eyebrow. "What, you're not going to push me away and tell me how much of a jerk I am?"

She shook her head. "Not yet."

He frowned as if that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. "You should…but I'm glad you're not. I wanted to talk to you." Alex nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak. Reid took it as a sign to continue. "I wanted to say I'm sorry…for what happened at Nicki's." She opened her mouth to say something but he made a raised his hand as if telling her to wait, so she did. "I'm sorry for not ripping you away from all of those assholes who were talking to you just so that they could feel you up. I'm sorry for what happened with the blonde wonder. I'm sorry for calling you a slut, because we both know that you're not. But most of all, I'm sorry that I made you cry, and that it took me so long to apologize."

Alex sensed that he wasn't done yet, but she wanted to interrupt him before he apologized for anything else that didn't upset her. "Reid…none of that's what hurt me…none of that is what made me upset."

He frowned. "What exactly was it then?"

Despite herself, she smiled, just a little. "I believe it was the words 'I'm Reid Garwin'." He looked at her with a confused expression on his face. "It made me feel like I was being used, like I should have expected you to completely blow me off. It… made me feel like I wasn't anything to you other than just another girl."

He nodded. He understood that, he saw it in her face that night, and he had already planned on making that right. "I was getting there. Before you got to Nicki's I was drinking, so when you came in and all of those boys…I started drinking more. By the time you danced with James, I drank probably about four beers. Not that it matters, not that it excuses anything, but I was a little too drunk that night, and the alcohol enabled Reid said that because that's what he thought was the best answer. But that…wasn't me."

She frowned. "Wha-" She stopped mid word; he had put his hand up again.

"That was me, maybe a long time ago, before me and you ever started this. But the me now…he's nothing like that guy. Yes, I'm still an asshole, I'm still a badass, I'm aware of that. But what's changed about me is that I don't think all girls are fucks anymore, I'm not the Reid Garwin that didn't even bother to learn a girl's name."

He took a breath as if to steady himself. "I'm not the Reid Garwin whose just interested in one night stands…I want more. And you've made me change…because of who you are, because of how I feel about you."

He took a breath, looking at her as if asking her permission to continue. "How do you feel about me?"

A slow smile crept across his face. He moved his hands from her waist to cup her face. He locked his icy blue eyes with hers, in the same way as if he was trying to get her to spill her guts. She found herself unable to breath.

It came out as almost a whisper. "I love you."

It was so much more powerful hearing it from him rather than as an echo. Alex grabbed his wrists as if to steady herself. She wasn't sure she could say anything, but luckily, he wasn't planning on giving her the chance.

"Last night I realized that nothing else matter except that I love you. It doesn't matter if you feel the same. And it doesn't matter if we haven't even made it to the official status yet, which is a mistake I plan on correcting. That shit doesn't matter because I think we've been doing this for a lot longer than what we think. I mean don't get me wrong it would be nice to hear that you feel the same, but-"

"Reid?" She interrupted him, deciding that it was time that she made her own confessions. And luckily, for once, he let her.

She smiled, probably the truest and best smile in a week. "I love you."

The seconds seem to hang in the air as she waited for his reaction. Neither one of them took a breath in that moment.

And then, that legendary smirk spread across his face. "That's good to know."

Alec let out a break of relief, dropping her hands to his waist. She walked away from the counter and into his embrace. When she felt his arms wrap around her, she melted into him.

"This," she began, burying her head in the crook of his neck, "is where I belong."

"So…" Reid began hesitantly. Alex looked up at him, their faces only inches apart. "…you wouldn't mind making this whole deal…exclusive…then?"

She smirked at him. "Reid Garwin, are you asking if I'll be your girlfriend."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

Alex rolled her eyes, smacking him playfully in the chest. He laughed. "Yeah, that's what I'm asking."

"Well, in that case…I think I'd be just fine with making this 'exclusive'."

Reid let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. "You know, I'm new at the whole boyfriend girlfriend thing."

She smiled. "Uh huh."

"I still get to kiss you right?"

"Well, let's hope so."

Reid took Alex's face in his hands again. He rested his forehead on hers, brushing his nose against hers slightly. She could feel his breath; it was making her dizzy.

He was taking his sweet time, and she was getting impatient. "Reid?"

"Yeah, Sweets?" The corners of his mouth twitched at the hint of a smile.

"Just kiss me."

He chuckled before closing the small distance and pressing his lips to hers.

It wasn't as harsh or as demanding as the first kiss they shared, up in the bedroom at the party, but it still held all of the same passion, the same yearning, the same electricity.

Only this time, it was intensified, by the feelings that were now out in the open. Neither one could breath from it, but neither dared to pull away.

Reid traced her bottom lip with his tongue, asking her to let him in. She willingly complied. As he brushed his tongue along hers, he knew that this was where he belonged too.

The couple backed up, until Alex felt her back up against the island. She pressed herself harder against Reid, molding herself to him, beginning the battle for dominance.

They were so engrossed in each other that they didn't hear the kitchen door swing open.

"Hey Alex, do-"

They both knew that voice, and the second they heard it, they broke apart, as if they had been shocked.

Pogue was standing in the doorway, mouth open, a puzzled expression on his face.

Alex just smiled. "Hey Pogue." He closed his mouth, trying to formulate a sentence, but his jaw only dropped again. "You shouldn't do that, you look like a fish."

When Alex though that they would be stuck in here forever, Pogue unable to say anything, and neither Alex or Reid unable to explain, she was saved by the familiar creak of the kitchen door.

She looked up to find Caleb standing in the doorway. He looked confused, but as he looked back and forth between Reid and Alex, and Pogue, a look of understanding crossed his face. To Alex, it even seemed as if he was trying to hide a smile.

Pogue looked at his friend too, his mouth still open. After some work, he finally got his brain to work long enough to formulate a question. "Did…you know…that they…kissed?"

Caleb would have loved to tell Pogue he had no idea, not because he wanted to abandon his friends, but because he knew that he wouldn't appreciate being the last to know. It would have been easy if Pogue had meant _today _did he know, but the way he said it, Caleb thought he meant _kissed_ in general.

He ran a hand through his hair, and with a sigh, nodded. "Yeah, kinda…"

"Right…okay." He looked back and forth between the couple at the bar and his best friend behind him. "I think…I'm gonna….go."

The three of them watched him walk out in silence, unsure of what to do. After a long moment, Caleb turned to look at Reid and Alex, who were both wearing the same expression of astonishment.

"So…" Reid began, not sure of what to say. "Guess the cat is out of the bag now, huh?" All Alex could do what nod. Caleb laughed. "What are you laughing at, Wonder Boy?"

"Nothing…it's just he took it a lot better than we thought he would."

"At least we don't have to tell him now." Alex finally chipped in. "But…I think I have some things to explain to him…you guys don't mind, do you?"

She gave Reid a quick kiss on the cheek before going through the same creaky door that Pogue had.

Caleb was gazing at Reid a look of amusement on his face. "What?" the blonde asked impatiently.

"So you apologized to her then."

He huffed. "Yeah, yeah…don't rub it in."

Alex found her brother standing by the fireplace, a look of shock still on his face. She walked over to him hesitantly, a meek smile on her face. "Hey. Can we talk?"

"Yeah, sure."

She led him out to the balcony where they could be alone. It was completely dark except for the lights from the house. They leaned over the edge of the brick railing, looking out across the sky.

Surprisingly, Pogue was the first person to speak. "So…nothing's going on huh?"

Alex chuckled. "I guess I have some explaining to do."

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Before our fight, at Nicki's, Reid and I basically spent ninety nine percent of our time flirting…he took me on a date-"

"Reid?" Alex nodded. "Was that when-"

"You saw us on the boardwalk, yeah."

"So, I haven't been crazy…something was going on?"

"Uh huh."

"So…" Pogue ran a hand through his hair. "Why did you tell me that there wasn't anything going on?"

Alex sighed. This is what was going to be the most sensitive. She didn't know how to convey to Pogue what she felt without making Reid look like the bad guy. "After our fight, when things were said, I had…convinced myself that nothing had been going on. I had convinced myself that the whole thing was just…what it had been. It was just…flirting. But then today, Reid came to me, and we set things right."

"Then you guys are…dating…officially."

"As of about five minutes ago."

Pogue sat for a few minutes, processing what he was just told. His sister, his baby sister, though by only seven minutes, was going out with Reid Garwin, the playboy of Spenser. Well, maybe he wasn't the playboy anymore…he had a girlfriend.

Alex was getting impatient. They both knew that she had silently asked Pogue what he thought about the whole situation when she had asked him to talk. If she didn't care, then she would have left things. Now, his patience with the whole subject was starting to make her nervous. "Can you please just say something?"

He looked at her for a second. It was clearly obvious that he was thinking. "Are you happy?"

Alex was confused. "What?"

"With Reid? Are you happy?"

A thoughtful grin slowly spread across her face. She nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"I won't lie, Alex. It makes me nervous. Reid's just as bad as Aaron when it comes to treating girls like shit…if not worse because he's known for doing it." Alex's face fell. He wasn't going to approve, not that it would stop her…she just wanted him to be okay with it. "But…" she looked up hopefully at her brother. He had a weary expression on his face, like he had been debating with himself for five years rather than five minutes. "Reid is my friend, and though he is a womanizer, he is a loyal friend. He would die for any of us if it came to that, no matter how much he denied it. And it's obvious that he cares about you…I mean just by the way he felt with the whole Aaron thing…"

"So…what are you saying?"

Pogue sighed. "I'm saying…that if you're happy, then I'm okay with it."

Alex's face lit up. She launched herself at her brother, throwing her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." They pulled apart, Pogue ruffling her hair. "Just...remember to keep your hormones in check when I'm around, okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah…if I have to."

They were startled from there moment by a sound at the door. They looked over to see Reid, standing in the doorway.

Pogue looked back and forth between his sister and Reid. They were staring at each other intently. Pogue cleared his throat, but they didn't move. "Well, maybe I should go then?"

Alex looked at her brother, giving him a smile. He ruffled her hair one more before walking back towards the house. He looked at Reid before he went through the door. "Take care of her."

"Don't worry, I will." That seemed enough for Pogue. He nodded his head, before leaving the two alone.

They stood there for another second before Reid crossed the balcony, pulling her to him and talking her lips in one swift motion. She gripped him, never wanting to let him go. She tried to deepen the kiss, running her tongue along his lip. But he broke apart, taking her bottom lip between his teeth, nibbling it slightly.

She shivered at the feeling. That was new. He pulled her even closer to him, thinking that she was just cold. She laid her head on his chest, taking in a deep breath before breaking the comfortable silence. "I haven't got the chance to tell you I'm sorry yet."

"Sorry for what?"

"Well, first off, for saying that I hate you…because obviously I don't. Then, I'm sorry for making you leave that next morning after you spent the night. And I'm sorry for trying to make you jealous."

That reminded him of something he wanted to ask her. "That whole idea, making me jealous…it wasn't yours was it?" She just shook her head. "Whose was it?" She didn't say anything. "Well, it wasn't Tyler's…must be Caleb?" Alex didn't say anything still, but the way she shifted was enough to give it away. "Caleb."

"You can't be too mad at him though…Caleb and Tyler are the reason we even got together."

Reid frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah…you don't think that the things they've done haven't been aimed at getting us together, do you?"

"Hmm, never really thought about it…makes sense though."

"Uh huh."

He held her for a few moments, under the stars. His mind drifted back to the last time they were standing under the stars together. It was at Marblehead, when they were dancing. A though crossed his mind. "Hey Alex…we never finished that dance at Marblehead…which means you still owe me one."

She laughed. "Oh no Garwin…you owe me a drink."

He huffed, just like last time. "Same thing. Come on.

She tried to look as if she would refuse, but she knew it was no hope…it was exactly the same conversation. "Reid…we don't even have any music."

He gave her his legendary smirk. "We don't need any Sweets."

She smiled back as he wrapped his arms around her, burying his head in her hair. She, like always, laid her head in the crook of his neck.

Together, they sway to music that was nonexistent to anyone else who may happen to see them, but was very real to them.

It was the music of their hearts.

Quietly, a brother looked on. He, too was happy, because, for the first time, he finally recognized that the smile his sister wore when she was with Reid was a true, genuine smile, a smile that meant she was happy.

And if she was happy, then so was he.

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awww, this is the final A/N: PLEASE REVIEW...did i do a good job wrapping up? do you want the seqeul to contain movie, or no movie??? I WANT THIS TO BE THE MOST REVIEWED CHAPTER

keep an eye out for my other story...no title, but it will be about TYLER! yaya. and there will be the sequel too!

I LOVE YOU ALL, BUNCHES!!!!

Kirsten


	28. A Brother's Love: BONUS CHAPTER

okay...so i got SO many responses to the last chapter that i thought that i'd do a BONUS CHAPTER for all of my readers...Plus, i was bored, so...

anyway, here it is...the BONUS CHAPTER...

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A Brother's Love Bonus Chapter…

"Tyler! Hurry up! We were supposed to be at the Dells like half an hour ago. We are SERIOUSLY going to miss the whole entire bash." Alex was lying on her bed, her head hanging over the side. Tyler was in his bathroom, messing with his hair.

"So…there will be one next year." He was joking, knowing that it would get to her.

She shot up. "Next year! Tyler…" With a huff, she got off the bed and walked over to lean on the doorway to the bathroom. "this is the ONLY party at the Dells that we'll have for the beginning for our junior year."

He laughed. "I know…I was just joking."

She studied him for a minute, or more like his reflection. He was messing with his hair, unhappy with all that he'd been trying. "What are you doing that for anyway, Tyler?"

'Doing what?"

"Fixing your hair."

He stopped to review his newest look. It reminded her a bit of Reid. His hair was hanging down over his forehead. With a frown, he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know...I just…"

She raised her eyebrow. "What?" He just shook his head. "Tyler, don't tell me you care what those fucks at that school think." He didn't say anything, just looked at her through the mirror. "You do…don't you?"

He turned to face her. "It's not that I care as much as I wanted to stand out. I want to be noticed…and not just as the guy who hangs around Reid."

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "We notice you…your friends notice you. Isn't that enough?"

"Yeah…" He said it half-heartedly, and Alex knew that he didn't mean it.

A moment of silence passed between the two, before Alex broke it. "Come here." A look of confusion crossed his face. Alex huffed. "Come here…I'm going to fix your hair for you."

Tyler huffed playfully but strode across the small bathroom all the same. Alex ran her fingers through his silky soft hair, pushing it off his forehead. "Hang on." She walked over to the counter and grabbed some of her gel before walking over to him again.

After a few more minutes, she pulled her hands away. "Okay, I'm done. Go look."

He turned around and looked in the mirror only to find that his hairstyle had been the same as when he had come. He frowned. That's not what he wanted.

He felt Alex's soft hands on his shoulder and looked over to see her face staring at him in the mirror. "If you want to be noticed, then be yourself. You don't need a new hairstyle, you just need you." He smiled at her, taking a long look in the mirror. Alex always had a way of making him feel better. That was of course, until she ruined the moment. "Not that you need those assholes to notice you."

Tyler laughed before turning to her. "God Alex! Aren't you ready? We were supposed to be at the Dells half an hour ago!" He gave her the most outraged look he could manage before bursting into laughter again when she started hitting him.

The two friends made their way down the stairs to find Caleb and Pogue standing in the kitchen with Mr. Parry. They could hear the three boys laughing as they entered the kitchen.

"About time! We were going to leave without you two!" Pogue was smiling.

"Yeah yeah…don't listen to him…I wouldn't let him leave you." Caleb shoved Tyler playfully, making the younger boy fall back into Alex.

"So tell me…who was the girl tonight, taking half an hour to get ready?" asked Pogue, staring at Tyler.

"Oh…it was me." Alex took the blame before Tyler could say anything. "I had to fix my hair." She gave Tyler a wink when the others weren't looking.

Tyler was fidgeting, trying to be careful not to run his hands through his newly fixed hair. "Where's Reid?" Pogue and Caleb shrugged. "Alex?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Well…" Pogue took a drink of his water bottle. "He is your boyfriend. I would hope you knew where he was…given his history." Alex was going to kick her brother when they left, but Caleb took care of that for her. Pogue let out a muffled _oomph_and the others tried hard not to laugh.

Alex caught the hidden meaning in what Pogue was telling her. _You should know where he is because you shouldn't trust him. _She _should _have been mad at Pogue for the insinuation, but he was doing so well with the rest of the relationship. She could forgive him if something slipped out from time to time. "Well, I trust him more than that."

A sort of uncomfortable silence spread across the room. Caleb had to do something to ease the tension, though what he did probably wasn't the best. "So…Mr. Parry…how do you feel about Reid and Alex?"

Alex winced and Pogue's eyes went wide. Even Tyler's mouth hung open. Caleb had a questioning look on his face until he heard Mr. Parry clear his throat. And then it dawned on him…maybe he wasn't okay with it.

"Well…I'm just glad I know the boy…even if I do think she could have made a better decision. But I don't worry about it. I trust her…and I have you lot to keep an eye on things just in case.

"Right…well, erm…" Caleb had managed to make things worse. "We should get…going?" It was a question that he already knew the answer to.

"But what about Reid?" Alex frowned, crossing her arms.

"Call him," Tyler suggested. "Tell him to meet us at the Dells."

Alex nodded. Anything to get out of the house. She might not be mad at her brother, but she wasn't happy with her father…or her mother. They weren't even giving it a real chance. They dismissed it as a fling until Reid had started picking her up for more dates. And then all they did was give her hell.

She called Reid on the way to Tyler's car. He agreed to meet them by the fire, so it was a lighter mood that Alex climbed into the backseat of the Hummer with Caleb, Pogue in the front with Tyler.

"At least I finally get to drive my own car." It was true. Tyler never got to drive when Reid was with them. Reid always stole the keys and Tyler never had the courage to get them back.

As soon as Tyler started the car, Pogue blasted the stereo. Alex could feel the subwoofers in the back seat, sending vibrations up her spine.

"So," Caleb began, "your parents don't like you and Reid dating?"

Alex looked down in her lap. "Not exactly. I mean, they know everything that Reid does wrong…in school, out of school. That's one of the benefits of being best friends with his parents."

"And how does Reid's parents feel?"

"They're pretty happy with it. They're a little worried about what could happy in the future, if we stay together. And they don't know how my parents feel, so they can't exactly be mad."

"I guess Reid takes it well?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't think he minds. It fits in with his whole badass reputation. Having a girlfriend kind of fucked it up a little, but having a girlfriend whose parents didn't approve is better than not having one at all."

Caleb cleared his throat, preparing for his next question. It was something he always did when he was preparing to enter a touchy subject. "And how do you feel?"

Alex smiled. "I don't care…really. That was something I learned through our whole…ordeal before we started dating. I don't care who finds out or what people think. I want to be with him…I love him, and that's all that matters. They do present a problem though. They tried to cap the amount of dates we have. The thing is though that they forget that when we all go out, me and Reid are still boyfriend and girlfriend." Alex said the next part with a whisper. "That and they forget I have my own balcony." He caught on to what she was saying rather quickly. He still slept over. She smiled. "Pogue doesn't know."

Caleb was surprised. "Pogue doesn't know? I thought that you guys had this whole new…open relationship."

"He knows almost everything. I mean, he knows we hang out more than Mom and Dad want. And he knows that I sneak out sometimes. But he doesn't know that Reid sleeps over." Caleb nodded in understanding. There were some things you didn't tell. "You know…it was funny to think that at one time, I was afraid that he'd be my biggest obstacle…but now I know that he turned out to be one of the biggest helpers in convincing my parents."

"So…your dad was talking about the fact that you could have made better choices…did he have anyone in mind?"

"Uh huh."

"Who?"

"Care to take a guess?"

Caleb frowned in thought before an answer came to his mind. "Me?" All Alex did was smile. That was enough to convince Caleb he had hit the nail on the head. "Wow."

"I know."

"Is our relationship _that _misunderstood?"

Alex shrugged. "Guess so."

They sat in silence for a few more seconds. "Wow."

"I know."

They sat for the rest of the ride in silence, which wasn't a very long time. Caleb was busy thinking about what they had just said. How could anyone think that they belonged together? It's not that he found the idea repulsive, but he just couldn't see them together. They were best friends…nothing more. There was never a time when he thought about her like that.

He had finally made peace with his thoughts when they pulled up among the thousands of other cars at the Dells. It was clear the party was in full swing, and from what they could hear, even a few miles away, it sounded like it had no intent on ending soon.

The walk was pleasant, though it was so dark, no one could see the ground. But they had been out there so many times that it was almost natural, like breathing.

Alex was glad that she had opted for Vans with her skirt. Heels would have killed her, plus her Vans were cuter. And, truth be told, she didn't really like wearing those death shoes. She had really only done it to impress people, first Aaron, and then Reid. It turns out that Aaron didn't deserve the extra effort and Reid liked her no matter what she wore.

She immediately felt the excitement emanating from the party when it came into view. Like every year, the entire population of the school was, it seemed, crammed into what should have been an infinite amount of space. The music was louder than Tyler's had been and it pulsed through her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if the teachers at the school knew that _this _was the real Spenser's.

Their walk through the crowd was dramatic, as always. The girls were staring at Caleb, Tyler, and Pogue, while the boys' eyes were on Alex. Ever since she was dating Reid, the boys at Spenser had began to notice her more openly now. It was a very big risk, but they were mesmerized by the girl that could tame, dare they say, whip Reid Garwin, their god.

Pogue immediately took on the protective brother role, grabbing Alex's hand and pulling her along through the crowd. She always pretended that she hated when he did that, but truthfully, she was pretty grateful. Being stared at by every guy made her a little uncomfortable, just because she had been used to every guy being scared to talk to her. Who ever thought that dating Reid would make people less scared?

The fire was all the way across the Dells, closer to the water. Halfway there, Pogue saw Kate standing with some of the people for their English class. Without a second thought, he abandoned them. That was something Alex understood well, now that she had a boyfriend of her own.

Alex rolled her eyes, but kept walking. She _really _wanted to see Reid. Along the way, she was aware that she lost Tyler and Caleb, probably to the swim team. She made it to the fire, feeling completely relaxed with the music. She loved this…she loved the parties, she loved the fire.

She spent the first few minutes staring at the flames before walking around it, looking for Reid. Her heart sped up as she nearly made a full circle. He had to be here somewhere…he promised. But soon she ended up in the same spot that she had started in, with no sign of Reid. He wasn't there.

She was just about to call him when suddenly she felt a pair of hands slip around her waist, pulling her closer to a warm body. Alex sank comfortably into the grasp, sure of who it was. She could tell these arms and this body from everyone else.

She was only convinced further when she felt a hot breath slide along the column of her neck towards her ear, where she heard Reid's hypnotizing voice in her ear. "Miss me Sweets?"

She closed her eyes. "Mmm, you have no idea."

"Bet I do." He placed a soft kiss on her neck.

They stood like that for quite a long time, his arms around her, rocking her slightly to the music. They could stay like that forever, just standing there. It was when they were happiest, together.

Alex thought about how foolish she had been nearly a year ago, at the beginning of her sophomore year. She had wanted to have what her brother had with Kate. But she realized rather quickly that what she and Reid had was beyond what they had. Theirs was deeper and truer.

"Hey, Baby Girl?" Reid whispered slightly.

"Uh huh?"

"Are you thirsty?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll be back." With a kiss on her cheek, he turned around and went to one of the coolers around the outer edge of the party. Alex stood where she was, looking at the fire. She didn't even notice anyone else behind her. That was, of course, until she heard his voice.

"Alex?" Whoever it was said her name timidly. She turned around to see the last person she would ever expect to talk to her again.

James was smiling at her. Alex was shocked. After Reid had carried her out of the bar, James had avoided her. Things only got worse once Reid and her hand become official. For some reason, Reid had made it a point to tell James that they were dating.

She could tell she was staring a little too long, so she tried to recover. "James! You look so different. How are you?"

"Fine, fine. How about you?" He ran a hand through his hair. It was only then that she realized he had grown it out.

"I'm good, great actually. I had a really good summer. You?"

"It was good." He cleared his throat, looking down at his feet. "Listen, umm, are…are you and Reid still going out?"

Alex frowned. Couldn't he tell? Didn't the whole school _already _know the answer to that? "Yeah, we are?"

"I guess you guys are pretty serious?"

Alex nodded. "Kind of…as serious as a high school relationship could be." James nodded, and his face fell. He was clearly disappointed. She felt compelled to ask him why he cared. "Why?"

"Well…I…just wanted to…to ask if you'd dance with-" He stopped suddenly, looking over Alex's shoulder. She didn't understand what was going on until she felt a hand slide passively over her stomach.

She didn't even have to look to see who it was. She smiled, leaning back against him again.

Reid handed her a regular coke. Alex remembered wishing that Reid would have done this exact thing when she was flirting with James at Nicki's. The fact that he was doing it now added a bit of bittersweet irony to the whole situation.

Reid was wearing his smirk. He could have been furious at James, especially since he'd made it perfectly clear that he didn't want him anywhere near Alex, but he couldn't help but smile at the way Alex was reacting with the situation. She was basically rubbing it in James' face. "Thanks dickhead, but if she wants to dance, she'll dance with me. Get it?" All James could do was nod, dumfounded. "Good." Reid put on his best innocent face before saying "Now…shoo." He added to it the hand motion, and all James could do was turn around and leave.

Alex swallowed her smile. She turned around trying her best to look annoyed and upset. "You know…some girls find that irritating."

She must have been failing miserably, because all Reid did was smile, pull her closer, and ask "Really? And what about you."

She wrapped her hands around his neck, running her fingers through his hair. "I find it incredibly sexy."

"I'm glad…You know something?"

Alex frowned. "What?"

"I haven't properly kissed you all night."

"Ahh…I see. And are you going to correct your mistake?"

Reid pretended to think about it for a minute before replying. "Only if you promise me a dance after words."

Alex rolled her eyes before pulling an unexpected Reid towards her. She pressed her lips to his. He started to respond, but then she pulled away. "Okay…let's dance." She tried to hide her smirk.

She turned around, pretending to leave. Reid, however, still held her hand. He spun her around, pulling towards him, and kissing her forcefully. She gave out an involuntary whimper when he bit her bottom lip. She was about to protest before his tongue darted out to lick the spot. She frowned when he pulled away. "There we go, all better."

She huffed. "Not even close."

Reid took her face in his hands, caressing her cheeks lightly. She grabbed his waist, pulling him closer. Their eyes locked for what seemed like infinity before he finally bent down, placing his lips on hers lightly. She was about to deepen it when he pulled away slightly. "I love you," he mumbled against her lips.

"Mmm, I love you too…now stop teasing me." She felt him smirk against her lips before he kissed her again. They clung to each other as he pushed his tongue into her mouth, massaging hers with his. They could feel the familiar electricity.

Before too long, they had to break apart, needing air, and needing a break from all of the heat. With a sigh, he grabbed her hand, pulling her along through the crowd, not heading in any certain direction, just being together. "So, how does it feel to be kissing Reid Garwin, the Sex God, in public?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Umm, not so great." She could hear him chuckle. "How about you? How does it feel to be kissing Alex Parry in public?"

Reid thought about it for a moment. "Well, like I'm going to beat the shit out of every guy here if they don't stop looking at you."

"They did it before Reid, it was just behind your back." She nudged him playfully with her shoulder. He stopped. "What's wrong?"

"I want to dance with you."

She smiled. "Okay." She tried to pull him into the heart of the crowd, but he stopped her.

"No. I want to dance with you right here." There was a smirk on his face.

"Reid! There's no one dancing right here." In fact, the space was rather empty. They were out in the open. The only time they had ever danced out in the open at Nicki's, but not in front of the whole entire school.

"I know…I want everyone to see us dance."

"What…are you an exhibitionist or something?"

He raised his eyebrows. on, it'll be fun!"

She rolled her eyes. There was no use fighting it. She allowed herself to be pulled closer to him, and she put her hands on his lower back. They began swaying back and forth to the music. Alex lost herself, as she did every time when she was with him. It didn't care who was watching. They were grinding on each other just as if they'd been in Nicki's.

She felt his lips on her neck. Her skin still burned when he touched her. She could feel his body flush with hers.

She could feel his heartbeat. It was beating in time with hers. Never before had she been so sure that she belonged with him, now, dancing together, with everyone they knew, but so wrapped up in each other, that neither cared.

Alex was exhausted when she came home. She was going to go straight to bed, but Pogue coaxed her into going into the kitchen and having a snack.

She laid her head on the table while Pogue made some tea and cut up some fruit for them to eat. She sat up when she heard the clink of the glass on the island.

"Thanks." She grabbed a strawberry, eating the whole thing in one bite. She didn't realize how hungry she was.

Pogue stared at her, an amused expression on his face. It was making her uncomfortable. "What?" she finally asked.

"You smell like Reid."

She smiled. "Hmm. Some of his musk must have rubbed off on me."

Reid shook his head. "No. I don't mean you smell like his musk. I mean _you _smell like _Reid._ Like, your aura…"

She was still smiling. She didn't see it as that big of a deal. "You smell like Kate."

Pogue shrugged. "Guess that's what happens."

"You smell like her when you wake up sometimes."

"You smell like Reid when _you _wake up sometimes."

It was her turn to shrug. She shouldn't feel this comfortable talking with her brother like this, but she did. She wasn't sure whether it was because she was so tired, or because of their open relationship.

"Sometimes, he sleeps over."

Pogue tried not to look surprised, or upset. Really, he had no right to. "Kate does too sometimes." Suddenly, a few thoughts crossed his mind. Just how far had Reid and Alex gone? He told himself he wouldn't ask, but by the time they had finished eating, he couldn't help it. "Alex?"

She smiled at him, telling him to continue. She was too tired to talk. "Are…are you still a-"

She knew what he was asking before he even finished, and she thought she would save him some embarrassment. "Yeah, I am. We've only been dating a couple of months…like two. I may love him, but I'm not one of his sluts."

He seemed to relax with her answer. They sat in silence for a few more moments before Alex stood up, getting ready to leave. "Night Pogue."

"Night Alex."

She was almost out of the room before she turned around and walking back to her brother, throwing her arms around him. He was surprised, but he returned it nonetheless. "Did I ever tell you thank you…for all that you've done for me…with Reid…with convincing Mom and Dad."

He smiled. "Yeah…no problem." Though he wasn't sure about the whole thing at first, he still felt compelled to convince their parents that they deserved to be together.

She untangled herself from her brother. Alex took a look at him for a second before playfully punching him in the arm. She ran to the door before he could retaliate.

"Hey Alex!" he called after her. She stopped and turned around. "I…don't think that you could have picked a better guy to be with. He loves you."

She smiled. That was his way of telling her that he had no more doubts, that he was just as sure as they were that belonged together. "I love you Pogue."

"I love you too, kiddo. I love you, too."

It was then, when Pogue finally approved of her and Reid, that he realized that a brother's love is the greatest love of all.


	29. SEQUEL POSTED!

Hey! This is just to let everyone know that the sequel for this is out...It's called A Brother's Love: Shattered Apart. I look forward to hearing your reviews...can't wait!


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